BOSTON - State Rep. Brad Jones said Wednesday that he welcomes state Rep. Lewis Evangelidis' challenge for his post as House minority leader.

"I welcome Rep. Evangelidis' newfound enthusiasm and interest in participating," Jones, a North Reading Republican, told PolitickerMA.com.

Evangelidis declared his candidacy for the post on Wednesday after meeting with the House GOP caucus in Jones' office.

Jones said he was happy with how the meeting went.

"I thought we had a good, healthy discussion," he said. "It was a wide-ranging discussion, and people are looking for a way to move forward."