Credit: Governor Christie's Office

Although the election is barely a month behind us, there is already talk of the next election cycle. Primarily, the focus rests on potential Republican contenders, given Mitt Romney's defeat. Chris Christie's re-election announcement sparked some speculation about his aspirations for 2016.

Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey, is widely considered a GOP favorite for the nomination in 2016. Governor Christie is no stranger to the national spotlight and recently caught the attention of many when he announced his bid for re-election in 2013. He made the announcement on Monday. Currently, Christie maintains an unprecedented approval rating of 72 percent. The high rating follows a surge of popular support from Republicans, Democrats, and independent for his handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Despite being a supporter of Mitt Romney through his candidacy for president, the governor has been criticized by factions within his own party for seeming too close to President Obama. Some have even accused Christie of helping propel the president to victory on election night, after expressing approval of the president's response to Sandy.

“The president has been all over this and he deserves great credit,” Christie said on October 30th, 2012, “I've been on the phone with him, like I said, yesterday, personally three times. He gave me his number at the White House, told me to call him if I needed anything. And he absolutely means it."

At a news conference in which he announced his reelection bid, Christie noted the bid reflected his commitment to rebuilding and fully recovering New Jersey. "It would be wrong for me to leave now. I don't want to leave now. We have a job to do," said Christie. So far, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, State Senator Barbara Buono, and former governor Dick Codey have surfaced as potential Democratic competitors.