New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said he is convinced the next head of state is "going to be" and "needs to be" a Republican governor during a speech to corporate executives and lawyers in Washington, D.C., Tuesday.

In remarks that appeared to have preempted his fellow Republicans' bid for the presidency on 2016, Gov. Christie indicated that the future president should have a job experience like his own.

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He said, for the GOP to win the White House leadership in two years, the party must field "a big and broad bench of good, experienced Republican governors."

He told attendees at the Legal Reform Summit of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that the strategy lies in building a roster of credible presidential aspirants.

Drawing support at the luncheon intended for clamping down on prosecuting corporations, Christie did not elaborate on his undeclared bid for the 2016 presidential primaries. Instead, he took a swipe at President Obama, saying the "experiment" with a legislator who was ill-prepared for the White House "has not been pretty."

Christie was in Washington raising money and publicity for GOP candidates for midterm elections-part of his job as the chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

He spoke briefly at the event, saying he was to hit the campaign trail to shore up support for Republican Larry Hogan, who is running a tight gubernatorial race against his Democrat opponent, Anthony Brown, in Maryland, a Democrat heartland.

Christie claimed he has not decided on running for the presidency yet in an interview with The Daily Caller in Maryland.

He said, between his campaign in Maryland and the midterm elections on Nov. 4, he has 18 states to visit to help win seats for Republicans in the gubernatorial races.

Asked about the Christie presidency, Hogan said he thought his colleague would make a "terrific president," citing Christie's impressive track record as a governor.

Tagspolitics, Politics of the United States, Republican Party, Chris Christie