There has never been a person before who has sought a fourth term as the state’s lieutenant governor. Until now.

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, a Republican, after a decade in the job, has been telling activist groups and donors that he will seek yet another term in the largely ceremonial role after first being elected in 2004.

“I also want to let you know that I will be expressing my intention to seek re-election as your Lieutenant Governor very soon,” he wrote supporters last week. “I anticipate a very aggressive campaign travel schedule and plan on attending as many Republican events in the coming year as my calendar will allow.”

Kinder’s letter – sent personally to local Republican leaders – asks for the dates of “significant political events” across the state.

The letter, according to one source close to Kinder, was sent as a way to get ahead of the competition – soon after Kinder got word of another Republican mulling an entrance into the race.

If reelected, Kinder would the first person to hold the job for four terms. Prior to Kinder, Frank Gaines Harris – a Roosevelt-era Democrat – had held the record for the longest-serving lieutenant governor, serving 11 years in the post.