Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is to announce his campaign for president in 2016. There will be a kick-off rally in downtown Louisville today before Paul jets off to several early nominating states to try to convince voters that his brand of libertarian republicanism is their best choice.

Paul is often lauded as being youth friendly and tech savvy. His political committee launched a video ahead of his announcement saying “On April 7, one leader will stand up to defeat the Washington machine and unleash the American dream.” The main purpose of the video seems to be raising funds.

Although he is the son of legendary Ron Paul, a political mainstay for many decades, it is unknown if the younger Paul will be able to raise enough money to truly compete.

In a field of perhaps 20 potential rivals, Paul certainly stands apart. However, can his against-the-grain and at times even antagonist platform propel him to victory? Or will it only serve to hinder him? Below is a concise review of Paul’s positions on the major issues for 2016.

IMMIGRATION – Paul is quoted as saying America “can’t invite the whole world” to live in the United States. He has sought to overturn or undo many immigration proposals including Obama’s recent executive order.

NATIONAL SECURITY – A true libertarian, Paul is against a large overseas military presence. He is adamantly opposed to surveillance programs and the use of drones. However, perhaps because of his approaching candidacy, Paul has recently said that something must be done about the chaos in the Middle East.

FINANCES – Paul believe the government is too big and taxes are too high. If elected, he would create ‘economic freedom zones’ in poor areas where individuals and corporations would not have to pay any income tax. In addition, he thinks more money should be spent on roads and bridges.

EDUCATION – Paul is strongly opposed to the Common Core standards. He thinks it takes control of education away from local administrators. Moreover, he has said that standards are only a means for bureaucrats to collect information on school children to further the government’s program of ‘social indoctrination’.

SOCIAL ISSUES – Paul is for gay marriage and against abortion. However, he does not want to focus on either issue, saying right now the country is too divided for any federal law to pass on the matter. Better to let individual states determine suitable legislation for their populations.

CLIMATE CHANGE – Paul is one of 15 republicans who admit that humans contribute to the planet’s global warming problems. Yet Kentucky is a big coal producing state therefore his statements on coal regulations have been mixed.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE – Paul has several problems with the current state of America’s criminal justice system. Like many Democrats, he believes mandatory minimum sentencing should be done away with and that it should be easier for people to expunge their criminal records.