JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder plans to run for re-election in 2016, a campaign spokesman confirmed Tuesday.
Kinder, who was first elected to the post in 2004, will be seeking his fourth term as Missouri’s second-ranking executive and, if he wins, would be the state’s longest-serving lieutenant governor.
Campaign spokesman Michael Hafner confirmed Kinder plans to run for re-election.

“It has been an honor to serve as Missouri’s Lieutenant Governor, and I look forward to the 2016 campaign,” Kinder said in a written statement.
Fellow Republican Bev Randles announced Monday that she had formed an exploratory committee as she considers whether to run for lieutenant governor. Wealthy political activist Rex Sinquefield gave Randles $1 million on Monday that can be used for polling, travel and other expenses.

Randles is chairwoman of the Missouri Club for Growth, a conservative group largely funded by Sinquefield. The $1 million appears to be the largest single donation from an individual to a candidate in state history.

Kinder said he’s “taken on and defeated bankrolled challengers before.”

Kinder raised more than $416,000 this year and had more than $57,000 in his campaign account as of Sept. 30, according to his October quarterly financial report.

A spokesman for Randles said she can use any leftover money from her exploratory committee for a full-blown campaign if she decides to run.