'We have come to take our country back!' Sen. Rand Paul officially jumps into the 2016 presidential race

Paul runs with the slogan 'Defeat the Washington Machine'

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul becomes the second official 2016 presidential candidate after announcing his campaign to a Louisville crowd earlier this week.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Standing up strong and facing the large crowd, Paul declared, "The Washington Machine must be stopped."

Paul is being referred to as a "wild card" and an "un-candidate." He is expected not to follow any traditional pathway to presidency.

"Both parties and the entire political system are to blame," Paul expressed regarding the disappearing freedom in America. "Big government and debt doubled under a Republican administration, and it's now tripling under Barack Obama's watch."

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Although Paul has yet to address the hot topics of immigration policy and Obamacare, he did take a stand on military intervention, privacy issues and criminal justice reform.

Paul directly referred to Middle Eastern Islamists saying the military policy needs to be more aggressive. "Until we name the enemy we can't win the war. The enemy is radical Islam. You can't get around that."

Paul plans on focusing on how the U.S. government treats racial minorities, especially in the inner cities. "[Politicians] have failed our inner cities," he stated. "Our schools are not equal." According to Paul, the children in failing public schools are left with "a daily ugliness that dashes hope."

"Just you wait and see," a self-identified donor predicted for Daily Mail, while insisting on anonymity. "Everyone is going to be scratching their heads. The Democrats are going to be spinning their wheels trying to pin him down while the old-boy GOP network is going to have to scramble to catch up with his momentum."

"I'm not a tea party girl, mind you," Paul supporter, Cathy Spitzer said. "But Rand is a once-in-a lifetime politician who does what he says he'll do and means every word of his speeches."

The spouse of another donor agreed on the term un-candidate to describe Paul. "You know - like the old 7-Up commercials? 'The Un-cola'? He's so different. It's amazing," she said. "I'm hearing so many people asking when Rand is going to start acting like other Republicans. But who knows? Maybe the whole field will start acting like him."

Paul's announcement comes after Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, but the two are expected to be facing as many as 20 rivals for nomination.

"I respect his talent, his passion, and the work he has done for Kentuckians and Americans in the U.S. Senate," stated Cruz speaking about Paul. "His entry into the race will no doubt raise the bar of competition, help make us all stronger, and ultimately ensure that the GOP nominee is equipped to beat Hillary Clinton and to take back the White House for Republicans in 2016."

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