Brandon Whipple

Wichita will have a new mayor next year.

Voters in Wichita will decide next week whether to stay the course with the city’s current mayor, or take city hall in a different direction.

Incumbent Mayor Jeff Longwell is seeking re-election against state Rep. Brandon Whipple. Each candidate brings years of political experience to the role — one local, the other at the state level.

Just days before early voting begins in the general election, Lyndy Wells is re-entering the race for Wichita mayor, this time as a write-in candidate.

Supporters of Lyndy Wells are encouraging the Wichita businessman to campaign as a write-in candidate in next month's mayoral election.

Lyndon Wells and Brandon Whipple were in a tight race for second place in the Wichita mayoral primary last week.

In the end, Whipple edged Wells to advance to the general election in November against incumbent Jeff Longwell.  

The nine-person field for Wichita’s next mayor has been narrowed to two.

In a tight primary race Tuesday, incumbent Mayor Jeff Longwell and Kansas state Rep. Brandon Whipple topped seven other candidates to advance to the general election ballot in November. Unofficial results show Longwell received 32.3 percent percent of the vote; Whipple received 25.9 percent.