State House Minority Leader Brad Jones said Wednesday that the loss of three seats in his Republican caucus is tough to take, but he said he took solace in all incumbent Republican representatives winning re-election.

The Republican caucus in the state House of Representatives shrunk by three - from 19 to 16 - on Tuesday as Democrats picked up seats vacated by Republicans Reps. Mary Rogeness, Paul Loscocco and John Lepper.

Jones told PolitickerMA.com it was a particularly tough year for Republicans across the country and that the "tsunami swamped a lot of people." Looking at the situation positively, Jones said, it could have been worse; it could have been a pro-Republican environment and they could have underperformed.

"At least it wasn't a Republican year and we didn't do well," the North Reading Republican said. "It wasn't a good Republican year."

Jones also said was pleased by the fact that all Republican incumbents won re-election somewhat convincingly and took that to mean that voters in Republican districts recognize the work they are doing.

"I think we're going to keep talking about the things we've been talking about," he said. "From one perspective, all of the incumbents that ran for re-election did well. That means that the issues we were talking about as incumbents went well."

The Republican also acknowledged a subtle irony in the election: Democrats in Massachusetts benefitted from a "change" mindset that dominated contests across the country, even though here a vote for a Democrat is a vote for the party which is already in power.

"Democrats aren't necessarily the change agents here," Jones said. "But the change agent from a national perspective was electing a Democrat."

Jones also looked ahead to 2010, noting that Democrats, who has sizable majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control the governorships, are now faced with governing in a extremely difficult time.

"If things aren't going well in Massachusetts and haven't turned around by the next election you can't possibly be a thinking person and blame the Republicans for it," he said. "[Democrats] control everything."