After making the rounds in Washington, D.C., last week, Florida Speaker Larry Cretul told the Ocala Star-Banner on Wednesday that he was giving “very strong consideration— to challenging 8th district Rep. Alan Grayson (D) in 2012.

Cretul, who will be term-limited out of office next year, told the paper he wants to continue to serve the public and that he believes Grayson is too liberal for the swing district. He said a decision on the race would come “soon— and added that he is still in a “pre-exploratory— stage.

Grayson defeated then-Rep. Ric Keller (R) by 4 points in 2008 to win the Orlando-based seat. Since his election, he has been identified as a top target for defeat by the National Republican Congressional Committee.