BOSTON - Coming right out of a House Republican caucus meeting in current Minority Leader Brad Jones' office Wednesady, state Rep. Lewis Evangelidis said that he is running for minority leader.

"I have said that I would like to seek the leadership of this party," Evangelidis, a Holden Republican, told PolitickerMA.com. "We have an election every two years, no one has a right to be leader. And I would like to offer a vision and work with the caucus to lead us in a direction that will allow us to grow our numbers."

Evangelidis declined to say how many Republican representatives were supporting his candidacy, but did say that the meeting was positive.

"We had a very positive discussion," he said. "Everyone was on the same page that we need changes and we need to do something different. The caucus will decide what those changes will be when we vote for leader and the leadership team on Jan. 7."

Evangelidis is the second Republican that was rumored to be considering challenging Jones, a North Reading Republican. State Rep. Jeff Perry, a Sandwich Republican, was initially reported to be in the running, but he said last weekend that he is not seeking the job.

Jone's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. When it does, it will appear on PolitickerMA.com.