Christie lists top 2016 GOP contenders

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) named a trio of Republicans who are strong contenders for the GOP presidential nomination if he does not run in 2016. 

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.) would all make “really good” candidates for president, he said in an interview that aired Monday night.  

{mosads}”I don’t know if I can restrict myself to three,” Christie said when asked by Fox News. “But I can give you the ones that I can think of that are really good. I think Jeb Bush would be an outstanding candidate for president. I think Scott Walker would be a really good candidate for president. I think Paul Ryan would be a really good candidate for president.”

Christie also predicted Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) “would be a good candidate for president.”

When asked about Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has had dustups with Christie in the past, the New Jersey governor said he would be a “credible candidate for president.”

Christie said he would campaign for any Republican who ultimately wins the GOP nomination. 

Differences he has with some potential GOP candidates “would be minor compared to the differences I would have with whoever the Democratic nominee is,” he said. 

Christie’s polling numbers have dropped in recent months as a scandal involving the closure of toll lanes on the George Washington Bridge has surrounded his administration. An internal probe conducted by lawyers hired by his administration found last week that Christie and other current members of his staff were not involved in the event. 

During the interview conducted last week, he dismissed the idea that he had too much baggage to run for president. 

When told he seems more poised to run for president than he did in the prior election, he said, “I think I’m older and more experienced and it is certainly something that I said to everybody that I consider.”