Republican state Rep. Robert Hargraves said late Thursday that he will vote for state Rep. Brad Jones to remain House minority leader in January.

"I am definitely going to continue to support Brad Jones," Hargraves told PolitickerMA.com. "He has done a lot to help me."

Republican state Rep. Lewis Evangelidis, of Holden, announced earlier this week that he intends to challenge Jones, of North Reading, for his post in January.

Hargraves is the fifth member of the GOP caucus to say he is supporting Jones, not including Jones himself. So far, state Rep. Todd Smola is the only Republican to publicly state he is supporting Evangelidis.

Hargraves, a Groton Republican, said he had a tough race this year against Groton Democrat Virginia Wood. Jones, Hargraves said, made contact with him three times every week to make sure his campaign was running smoothly. Jones also recommended sending one more mailer just before the election and helped secure the funding for it, Hargraves said.

"Brad has always been there for his people," Hargraves said.