Chris Christie, the outspoken governor from New Jersey, is the latest Republican to join the crowded primary field, formally announcing his intention to seek the White House on Tuesday.

Christie, speaking to supporters at a high school in Livingston, N.J., said he is ready to get to work and “tell it like it is,” a campaign slogan already appearing on his website and social media pages.

Christie spoke extensively about his family’s history and why he believes their hard work got them ahead. He often speaks of his mother, and in a video posted online, Christie reminisces about how she is the reason he has such a blunt attitude when it comes to politics.

“This country needs to work again together — not against each other,” Christie said. “We need a government in Washington that remembers ‘You went there to work for us, not the other way around.’”

Christie talked about his record, touting a balanced budget and no tax increases as a Republican governor in a blue state.

“We rolled up our sleeves and got to work,” Christie said. “We made the hard decisions that had to be made.”

He spoke of compromise in Washington and blasted politicians who think compromise is a “dirty word.”

“We must tell each other the truth about the problems we have and the difficulty of the solutions,” Christie said. “We have to acknowledge that our government is no longer working for us.

“I’m now ready to fight for the people of the United States of America. America is tired of hand-wringing and indecision in the Oval Office, and that’s why I am proud to announce my candidacy for the Republican nomination for the presidency of the United States of America.”

Christie, 52, has been a part of New Jersey government and politics since 2002, following his appointment to be the U.S. Attorney in the state by President George W. Bush. He was elected governor with 48.5 percent of the vote in 2009 and reelected with more than 60 percent of the vote in 2013.

Christie’s name has been floated as potential presidential candidate for several years now, even after he passed on a run in 2012.

Christie has traveled to Iowa several times, including appearances at several cattle calls. He appeared at Steve King’s “Iowa Freedom Summit” in January and at Bruce Rastetter’s “Iowa Agriculture Summit” in March. Rastetter was a supporter of Christie’s potential candidacy in 2012.

Christie also gave an extensive speech on his education agenda at Iowa State earlier this month.

Following his announcement, Christie will be in the early voting state of New Hampshire for several days to host his first official events as a candidate.

Christie’s entry into the race ups the total number of Republican candidates to 14. The latest polling shows Christie has ground to make up, consistently polling at about 4 percent.

At least two more Republican governors, John Kasich of Ohio and Scott Walker of Wisconsin, are expected to jump in the race in July.