Republican Sen. Rand Paul officially launched his bid in the 2016 presidential race on Tuesday.

After years of speculation, the Kentucky senator announced he is running for president while speaking to a loud crowd of supporters at a rally in Louisville.

"Today I announce with God's help, with the help of liberty lovers everywhere, that I'm putting myself forward as a candidate for president of the United States," Paul said, according to NBC News.

He went on to declare himself as the Republican candidate who will "defeat the Washington machine."

"The Washington machine that gobbles up our freedoms and invades every nook and cranny of our lives must be stopped!" he said, adding that "both political parties and the entire political system are to blame" for the rising debt.

During his speech, Paul also touched upon his foreign policy vision, which aims for "peace through strength," while avoiding "overseas nation building."

"We need a National Defense robust enough to defend against all attack, modern enough to deter all enemies, and nimble enough to defend our vital interests," he said. "But we also need a foreign policy that protects American interests and encourages stability, not chaos."

The event started with a lineup of guest speakers who pained Paul as a unconventional candidate with a diverse appeal including former Rep. J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, state Sen. Ralph Alvarado, who's Hispanic, and a local African American pastor named Jerry Stephenson.

"He goes everywhere. It doesn't matter what color you are. Rand Paul will be there," said Pastor Stephenson, reports CNN.

According to CNN, his first stops on his campaign trail include New Hampshire, South Carolina, Iowa and Nevada.

Since being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, Paul has embraced the tea party branch of the Republican Party and branded himself as a leader in mainstream libertarianism and a staunch advocate for civil liberties and anti-interventionist foreign policy.

Paul is only the second candidate to officially announce his run for president following Texas Sen. Ted Cruz who declared his bid for the GOP presidential nomination on March 23.