Gov. Chris Christie says he's not too heavy for presidency

(CNN) -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie pushed back at critics doubting his ability to lead because of his weight, calling it "ridiculous" to say he couldn't be president because of his size.

Though Christie admitted to ABC's Barbara Walters he's "more than a little" overweight in an interview released in part Wednesday, when asked if his size could hinder his ability to run for the White House he said "I don't know what the basis for that is."

"I've done this job pretty well, and I think people watched me for the last number of weeks in Hurricane Sandy doing 18 hour days and getting right back up the next day and still being just as effective in the job, so I don't really think that would be a problem," he said of his weight.

Following a grueling campaign schedule touting former Republican nominee Mitt Romney's White House credentials in the 2012 election cycle, Christie, a popular and candid conservative, was seriously considered by Romney's campaign as a potential running mate before the Republican standard bearer chose Rep. Paul Ryan from Wisconsin.

And with soaring approval ratings following his widely lauded response to Superstorm Sandy, which wreaked havoc on the East Coast, the Republican governor is rumored to be mulling a run for the White House in 2016.

Christie announced in November he would seek a second term as New Jersey's governor, citing more work to be done to rehabilitate his state in the aftermath of the storm.

"I felt like it just wasn't right to leave that question unanswered. And so, it's answered. I'm running. I'm in this race. I'm in this race to win," he said after filing for re-election. "I love this job more than any other job I've had in my life, and I don't see any reason to leave it voluntarily."