Fresh off his re-election victory, Gov. Chris Christie is heading to Arizona Tuesday to take on an additional job: chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

“This is now seen as a stepping stone to national prominence and to launching your campaign for president, giving you a chance to travel around the country, to build up chits, to meet donors you'd come back to when you're running for president,” said Patrick Murray, a political scientist and pollster at Monmouth University.

As RGA chairman, Christie has the power to direct tens of millions of dollars in money to candidates of his choosing. The governor will also be fundraising for these candidates through 2014, and could host campaign rallies that would further boost his profile. The exposure, Murray said, could serve as a dress rehearsal for an eventual 2016 presidential candidacy.