A member of the Kennedy family may be making a bid for Congress once again.

A person close to Joseph P. Kennedy III has confirmed to ABC News that the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy is considering running for the seat to be vacated by Rep. Barney Frank.

At only 31, Kennedy would be the first of his Kennedy generation to seek political office. His father, Joseph P. Kennedy II, served in Congress from 1987 to 1999.

Kennedy, a prosecutor in Massachusetts's Middlesex County, decided to explore the possibility of running for the fourth district seat when Frank announced in late November that he wouldn't seek reelection, the person said.

"He is pretty close to making a decision," the person said.

In a statement later on Thursday, Kennedy announced that he will leave his post at the district attorney's office within two weeks and then begin talking with people in the state's fourth district.

"I will make a final decision about entering the race in the weeks thereafter," he said.

Kennedy has already asked "key folks" in Frank's district and more prominent figures in Massachusetts for their advice, the person said without naming the people Kennedy has talked to.

John Walsh, the chairman of the state's Democratic Party, said in a statement that he's "excited" that Kennedy is "considering this race."

Frank, one of the more liberal members of Congress, decided not to run as his district became more Republican. Rhode Island Public Radio first reported that Kennedy has been lining up fundraisers as part of a potential bid for Congress.