Chris Christie will be advisor and sounding board

Chris Christie expects to be “very, very active” on behalf of Mitt Romney’s campaign now that he’s endorsed him, the New Jersey governor said Tuesday.

“I’ve told Governor Romney, I don’t need a title, I don’t need anything else. I’m here to help. And so when he needs help, they should pick up the phone and ask,” Christie told reporters on a conference call just hours after appearing with the former Massachusetts governor.

Russ Schriefer, one of Romney’s senior strategists and a media consultant and strategist for Christie’s gubernatorial campaign, said Christie would be one of the campaign’s “top surrogates” and “an advisor and sounding board” for Romney and his team.

Schriefer said Christie would “be involved in literally every aspect of campaign activities” from fundraisers, to media interviews to appearances for Romney in swing states.

“To the extent that he can give any time to us, we’ll be thrilled to take it and book him,” Schriefer said.

Romney will also rely on the New Jersey governor as an advisor throughout the primary process and beyond, he said.

Schriefer declined to elaborate on which groups of voters he thought Christie would be most helpful with beyond saying that Christie has broad appeal among Americans who are concerned about “cutting spending and lowering taxes.”

Romney and Christie have had numerous conversations as far back as June, Romney’s aides said. Romney’s team had made it clear to Christie that they wanted his endorsement and suggested a meeting. After Christie made his own decision to stay out of the race, he called Romney to discuss the campaign.

This weekend, the two men got together with Romney’s wife, Ann, and Christie’s wife ,Mary Pat, at Christie’s home in Mendham, N.J., for about two-and-a-half hours and had “a really good conversation,” Schriefer said.

“I think it was a mutual decision where both of them wanted to see each other and spend some time in person with their spouses,” Schriefer said.

maeve.reston@latimes.com