Christie, at a news conference in Hanover, N.H., described the endorsement as an "easy decision." He cited Romney's experience in the private and public sectors, saying he "brings the best of both" to the job.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will endorse former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for president.
"America cannot survive another four years of Barack Obama, and Mitt Romney's the man we need to lead America and we need him now," Christie said.
The announcement came just hours before the Republican candidates were set to gather for a debate nearby at Dartmouth College. In securing the support of Christie, Romney will have at his side a tough-talking governor who during his two years in office has built a reputation as a fiscal hawk not shy about taking on the public employee unions.
The former Massachusetts governor is enlisting Christie at a time when his front-runner status is once again being challenged. Romney saw his lead slip after Texas Gov. Rick Perry jumped into the race in August. Perry has since fallen back in the polls, but businessman Herman Cain broke through to within a few points of Romney in several recent national polls.
Marking a fast turnaround for Romney, the new endorsement comes one week to the day since Christie called a news conference in Trenton to end once and for all the speculation that he would make a late entrance into the race.
Christie for months had said he would not run but then acknowledged that encouragement from others had him rethinking the decision in recent weeks. Even so, he said he never changed his mind, and he determined he had too much unfinished business to take care of in his home state.
The endorsement of Romney should leave no doubt that Christie is out as a potential candidate -- but in as a high-profile surrogate for the former Massachusetts governor.
Christie's endorsement helps solidify the perception that Romney is both the frontrunner and the establishment choice in the seemingly settled field. Many Republicans were slow to rally around Romney, who is viewed skeptically by many in the GOP base because of his moderate positions on many issues in the past and his decision to sign a universal health care law as governor.
Throughout the year alternatives to Romney have risen, and, in many cases, fallen in the polls. First came Rep. Michele Bachmann, who has fallen to the back of the pack, and then Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has seen a serious slide in his poll numbers in recent weeks. Most recent has been the Christie boomlet and the rise of former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain, who has passed Perry in many polls.
But few major GOP donors and establishment Republicans see Cain as a viable long-term candidate, and Perry's poor debate performance has soured many big donors on the Texas governor. The Wall Street money that had been pushing Christie into the race is now flowing to Romney, and it will be difficult for Perry to compete with him in the northeast, a crucial region for fundraising. He will instead need to focus even more narrowly on his established donor base in Texas.
Christie is a particularly valuable endorsement for Romney, and could be a valuable asset on the campaign trail. The New Jersey governor's no-nonsense style has made him a star in his party after less than two years in office, and he could help Romney win over voters who are skeptical of the governor. In introducing Christie, Romney called him a "forthright" "American hero" who "has the following of a lot of folks across this country."
Christie spent part of the event defending Romney against charges that the health care law Romney signed in Massachusetts is similar to the "Obamacare" health care law, calling such claims "intellectually dishonest." He said "we should not allow people for political purposes to try to be disingenuous about what Governor Romney did," which Christie described as the responsible course of action for Massachusetts. Christie suggested states, not the federal government, should decide about their health care policy.
Christie suggested that many politicians, including Mr. Obama, run for president because they think they can win, not because they know they can do the best job. Romney, he said, has put the issue of running the country first.
"Mitt Romney says 'I hope I can win, I know I'm right,'" Christie said.
When he said he wasn't going to run for president last week, Christie said that if he endorses, he'll work hard for the candidate.
"You know, as I said before, I'm not a halfway kind of guy," he said. "If I feel like there's someone in the field who gives us the best chance to defeat the president, I'll endorse that person. I'll work hard for that person."
Christie's endorsement won't just be a one-off event -- he'll make appearances with Romney on the stump. "He's all in," one senior Romney aide told CBS News.
In response to the news, Perry Campaign Communications Director Ray Sullivan said Perry "has the utmost respect for Gov. Christie and looks forward to his help unseating President Obama next year."
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