Republican Gov. Chris Christie announced Monday that he will run for re-election next year, when New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states holding gubernatorial elections.

The gubernatorial elections in the two states, which are always held in the year immediately following a presidential election, are often seen as bellwethers for the following midterms.

“The people need to know I’m in this for the long haul,” Christie said at a news briefing in Middletown, according to The Associated Press. The state is just beginning to recover from the devastating damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

The Quinnipiac University Polling Institute was scheduled to release results of a survey in New Jersey on the response to Sandy, which should provide evidence for Christie’s standing heading into next year.

The Virginia race will likely be between former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe and one of two Republican statewide elected officials, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling or Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, a former governor, considered running for the governorship but announced last week that he will not seek another term.