Christie says he's open to 2016 presidential bid

FILE: March 29, 2012: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks in Manchester, N.J. (AP)

  OCEAN CITY, N.J. – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he's open to running for president in four years if the job is open.

The first-term Republican says he hopes fellow Republican Mitt Romney beats President Barack Obama in November and seeks re-election in 2016. But if the presidency is open, Christie says he'll "certainly think about it."

Christie rebuffed an opportunity to seek the GOP nomination this year. He was asked Wednesday at a boardwalk stop in Ocean City about running for the top spot in the next election.

He said: "If there's an opportunity for me to serve in another capacity and I think I have something to add to the mix, I don't think I'd back away from it."

Christie has been mentioned as a possible Republican convention keynote speaker.