Republican U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, who is widely expected to challenge Gov. Jon Corzine (D) in the Garden State’s 2009 gubernatorial contest, announced Monday that he would resign effective Dec. 1.

In a statement Monday afternoon, Corzine, who served in the Senate until early 2006, praised Christie’s efforts to confront ethical challenges in the state and said he looks forward to a quick appointment of Christie’s successor from the incoming administration to continue that work.

A Corzine-Christie gubernatorial matchup would be a marquee off-year contest in the Garden State, but it may not come to pass as Corzine is rumored to be in the mix for a possible return to Washington as President-elect Barack Obama’s Treasury secretary.