Gov. Rick Perry shook up Texas politics Thursday after abruptly declaring that he plans to seek an unprecedented third four-year term, which could give him a total of 14 years in office and complicate the future of several ambitious Republicans.

Word of a 2010 re-election bid, which Perry blurted out to reporters during a swing through Grapevine, prompted rushed statements from would-be competitors, including Republicans U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.

Whether Perry follows through -- one aide pointedly said he could always change his mind -- the news spread quickly in Austin as the prospect of a nasty and expensive GOP primary came into focus.

"There's a lot of wet diapers in Austin right now," said Ross Ramsey, editor of the political newsletter Texas Weekly. "Everybody has been sort of dancing and flirting with this, but now it's no longer just a flirt. Now it's a real game."

Sizing up Perry's plans has become something of an obsessive ritual for Texas political observers and elected officials. Perry took over in 2000 when then-Gov. George W. Bush became president. He won re-election in 2002 and 2006, and he is already poised to become the longest-serving governor in Texas history. Whatever he decides to do next will set the stage for the next crop of state leaders.

While Perry has never ruled out a re-election bid in 2010, he's never publicly ruled himself in, either.

That changed Thursday in Grapevine at a forum of the Republican Governors Association. Perry was asked during an impromptu exchange with reporters whether he could see himself, Dewhurst and Hutchison on the ballot in 2010.

"I don't know about the other two," Perry said. "You need to ask them." Asked specifically whether that meant he will run for re-election, Perry said, "Yes."

That one-word answer was like a bombshell in Texas political circles.

"My BlackBerry [phone] is in meltdown mode," joked Perry's spokesman Robert Black, who was overrun with calls seeking insight into the governor's words and intentions. Though he did not contradict Perry, Black quickly noted that the governor reserved the right to back out before the January 2010 filing deadline.

He said that Perry's "default position" is to run for re-election but that his chief focus will be an ambitious legislative agenda when lawmakers meet next year.

After that, who knows?

"If he gets all that done, he may go do something else," Black said. "If he feels like he has work left to do, he'll run for re-election. I think the better question may be, has he ever said he's not running. I think the answer to that is no."

The often cryptic descriptions of Perry's political ambition have left some observers to theorize that above all he wants to remain politically relevant and avoid the perception that he's a lame duck. The specter of an active re-election campaign also has the effect of keeping political donors on edge while discouraging a financial rush toward a competitor, Ramsey said.

"There's only one candidate at this moment who says he'll be in the race," Ramsey said. "Everybody else who gets in now is a challenger."

In 2006, Hutchison flirted with the possibility of leaving the Senate to run against Perry. She's now said to be gearing up for a 2010 run.

After Perry's comments hit the Internet on Thursday, the senator quickly issued a written statement.

"I am encouraged by the growing number of Texans asking me to return home to run for Governor to provide leadership for our state," she said. "It is too early to make an announcement about the 2010 race. Right now, I remain committed to serving the people of Texas in the United States Senate and helping our Republican candidates win crucial elections this fall."

Dewhurst, who has also been exploring a run for governor behind the scenes, said he's focused on the upcoming session of the Legislature and won't make any announcements about his future until it's over. Democrats quickly predicted that Perry, who won a five-way race in 2006 with 39 percent of the vote, will give their party its best chance in years to recapture a statewide office.

"Nothing motivates Democratic voters like a chance to vote against Rick Perry," said Jason Stanford, who managed Democrat Chris Bell's 2006 campaign. "It's a beautiful scenario."

Bell, a Houston lawyer, said he hasn't decided whether he'll run again in 2010.

At a news conference in Grapevine with other Republican governors, Perry made clear that he has no interest in running on the ticket with Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, even if asked.

"I don't want to go to Washington, D.C. I've got a great job," Perry said. "Being the governor of Texas is a great job."

Perry mocked both of the Democratic presidential candidates, comparing their campaigns to reality television.

After the news conference, Perry voiced support for Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick and took note of several races that several Craddick supporters won in last month's primaries.

He said he and his wife decided several weeks ago that he would run again, and he disputed that he might back out.

Perry made clear that he believes that Texas was better served by him continuing to lead the state than anyone else who has publicly contemplated running. "I would not even consider offering myself up if I did not think that substantially," Perry said.

Jay Root reported from Austin, and Aman Batheja reported from Grapevine and Fort Worth.