Speaking in front of Latino small business owners from all over the nation, Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie criticized his party for not doing enough to appeal to Latinos, an important voting bloc in next year's elections.

Gov. Christie, who has been teasing the possibility of running for president in 2016, spoke at the Latino Coalition's "Small Business Summit" on Wednesday. The event, held at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, brought Latino business owners together to discuss upward business growth within the Latino community.

The New Jersey Republican used his opportunity on the stage to lambast his party's unfriendly tone towards the Latino community, reports the Associated Press.

"My party, quite frankly, has been guilty in some respects of speaking in a way that doesn't sound very welcoming to new members," Gov. Christie told the audience. "If you want to be a leader in this country, you have to first reach your hand out and change the tone of our national conversation."

The governor won 51 percent of the Latino vote in New Jersey when he was re-elected in 2013, soundly defeating his Democratic opponent, state Sen. Barbara Buono. Gov. Christie views himself as a Republican whom Latinos, African Americans, and other minorities can back.

A year before his reelection, Mitt Romney lost to President Barack Obama, having only gained 27 percent of the Latino vote. Gov. Christie has said he will announce whether or not he will run for his party's nomination later this month.

However, Christie's overall popularity in New Jersey has been waning. A Monmouth University poll released in May found 47 percent of respondents had an overall unfavorable view of their governor. However, the numbers worsen when asked about governor's track record. Fifty-four percent said Gov. Christie was not doing a good job as governor.

New Jersey residents do not see their governor succeeding in the presidential race either. Another Monmouth University poll released in May found 67 percent of New Jersey residents believe Gov. Christie does not have the "right temperament" to be president while 71 percent believe he will struggle or not win his party's nomination.

Nationally Gov. Christie also struggles to gain ground within such a vast GOP line up. Real Clear Politics averaged recent poll data and found Gov. Christie is currently in eighth place behind Sen. Ted Cruz.

In the most recent poll, conducted by Fox News, only 5 percent supported Gov. Christie as their first choice for candidate.

Yet, among the Latinos in the audience at the summit, Gov. Christie seemed to do well.

"He's certainly saying the right things," Rudolph Estrada, lead director of the Board of Directors of East West Bank told USA Today. "I am a Democrat. There is nothing in his speech I could disagree with."

Rosie Arias, a California business owner, echoed Estrada.

"He hit a lot of good points," she said. "The Latino community is definitely looking for someone to stand up on ... their behalf. I believe he could be one."