Gov Chris Christie said today that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney gives Republicans the best opportunity to unseat President Obama.

In handing his much courted endorsement to Romney, Christie cited the candidate's public and private executive experience as his greatest asset.

"He combines the type of executive experience that you need during these really difficult economic times to turn around this ship of state," Christie said in a press conference following his endorsement of Romney.

Christie compared Romney's years of experience to those of Obama, who had no executive experience before winning the presidency.

"We have all seen what it's like electing a legislator who has no experience to the White House," Christie said.

Christie said he met with Romney and his wife Saturday to solidify his endorsement.

Many of the Republican candidates reached out to Christie in the week since his announcement that he would not seek the GOP nomination, including Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who all sought Christie's blessing.

In the end, he chose the former Massachusetts governor.

"I told him, I don't need a title, I don't need anything else, I'm here to help," he said.

Christie said he will now urge anyone who had backed his potential candidacy to throw their allegiance behind Romney.

The decision to announce the endorsement today, three months before the New Hampshire primary, was made by the Romney campaign, but once his decision was made, "there was no reason to be coy."

The governor said he could have played his endorsement out for added drama, forcing Republicans to pony up in exchange for his backing, but said Mitt is his man, so why wait.