Christie has not fared well in public opinion polling thus far, however. He netted just 1% support from potential Republican primary voters in a Reuters/Ipsos poll in May.
Mike Pence is officially running against Donald Trump to be the Republican candidate in the 2024 US elections.
Pence may plan to run for president but it's unlikely he will be able to stay a majority of right-wing voters to his cause.
Trump also faces several other legal threats, including Smith's probe into classified documents found at Trump's personal residence in Florida after the former president left the White House.
A two-term governor from a Democratic-leaning state, the brash and charismatic Christie was once viewed as a rising Republican star who held rare cross-party appeal.
Political consultancies are also seeking to harness AI, further muddying the line between real and unreal.
DeSantis made the announcement on Twitter during a discussion with Twitter CEO Elon Musk. Twitter crashed repeatedly during the announcement.