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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Reuters) - Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky built a national reputation on his willingness to challenge Republican orthodoxies. As he launches a 2016 presidential bid, he is reaching out to more traditional voters as well.

Paul announced his candidacy on Tuesday in a post on his website, a few hours before what his political action committee described as "a very special rally" scheduled for 11:30 a.m. (1530 GMT) at a hotel in Louisville, Kentucky's largest city.

"I am running for president to return our country to the principles of liberty and limited government," he said in the post.

But the anti-war agitator who mounted a 13-hour filibuster to call attention to the United States' use of drones recently proposed a boost to military spending. The firebrand who wants to scale back the authority of the Federal Reserve has been quietly courting Wall Street donors.

And the 52-year-old former eye surgeon who harnessed the anti-establishment energy of the Tea Party movement has been raising money for fellow Republicans, at times upsetting the grassroots activists who have made him a national figure.

Tuesday's announcement makes Paul the second major Republican figure to announce presidential ambitions for 2016, after Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. A crowded field is expected, and candidates will be competing hard for constituencies ranging from the Christian right to traditional Wall Street Republicans.

Yuri Gripas/Reuters Senator Rand Paul in Washington, December 3, 2014. On many issues, Paul does not differ from mainstream Republicans. He opposes Obamacare and abortion, and favors cutting taxes and spending. But his criticism of the Federal Reserve has spooked many in the party's business-friendly wing, and his proposal to balance the federal budget within five years is dramatic even by the standards of his anti-spending party.

Still, he has surprised many party insiders as he has laid the groundwork for the campaign.

"The people that I know of that talked to Rand Paul walk away pretty impressed," said Ron Kaufman, a former Mitt Romney adviser who now backs former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

But Paul is being watched closely by the libertarian activists who were galvanized by the 2008 and 2012 White House bids of his father, former Congressman Ron Paul of Texas.

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Republican Rand Paul announces 2016 presidential run on website

LOUISVILLE, Ky.: U.S. Senator Rand Paul promised to be a different kind of Republican on Tuesday, launching a 2016 White House bid by saying he would stand up for individual freedoms that are being trampled by "the Washington machine."

The first-term senator from Kentucky, a libertarian with a reputation for challenging party orthodoxy, criticized Republicans in Congress and the White House for helping to drive up the federal debt and reducing personal liberties.

"The Washington machine that gobbles up our freedoms and invades every nook and cranny of our lives must be stopped," he told cheering supporters on a flag-draped stage in Louisville, Kentucky.

"Both parties and the entire political system are to blame," he said under a banner reading "Defeat the Washington Machine, Unleash the American Dream."

Paul's announcement makes him the second major Republican to jump into the 2016 race after Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. A crowded field is expected, with candidates competing hard for constituencies ranging from the Christian right to traditional Wall Street Republicans.

In a speech that will kick off a four-day campaign trip to the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, Paul delivered a message of personal freedom and economic opportunity.

The 52-year-old former eye surgeon is now in the second tier of Republican candidates, drawing the support of 8.4 percent of Republicans, according to a March Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll.

He is behind former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who has said he is exploring a bid, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. He is in a statistical tie with four other Republicans: Cruz, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.

Paul, who entered Congress on the Tea Party wave of 2010, has been reaching out in recent months to attract more mainstream voters and to reach minorities and young voters who have not favoured Republicans in the past.

"The message of liberty, opportunity and justice is for all Americans, whether you wear a suit, a uniform or overalls, whether you're white or black, rich or poor," he said.

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Republican candidate Rand Paul tries to broaden libertarian appeal

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul became the second major Republican presidential contender to enter the 2016 primary race when he announced his candidacy Tuesday in Louisville.

I have a message, a message that is loud and clear and does not mince words. We have come to take our country back! Paul said to a rousing reception.

Paul hopes to build on his support among libertarian and Tea Party activists to become a force in what promises to be a lengthy and potentially divisive battle for the Republican Partys presidential nomination next year.

We need to boldly proclaim our vision for America, he said. We need to go boldly forth under the banner of liberty that clutches the Constitution in one hand and the Bill of Rights in the other.

Paul is a first-term senator who was elected in 2010 with Tea Party support, and who has blazed his own trail in the Senate ever since. He solidified a national following during a 2013 Senate filibuster with a nearly 13-hour speech critical of the Obama administrations use of drones to target suspected terrorists abroad.

Domestic priorities

Pauls plans to cut taxes, reduce the size of government and emphasize personal liberty should play well with Tea Party supporters looking for a candidate in the large Republican field.

Remember that the roots of the Tea Party are economic conservatism, not social conservatism, said Republican strategist Phillip Stutts, who once worked for Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. It is about less government. It is about cutting taxes. It is about getting sick and tired of [bank] bailouts.

Paul also has reached out to minority voters and spoken at historically black colleges, another tact that sets him apart from the Republican field. He also favors liberalizing laws regarding marijuana.

Foreign policy views

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Republican Rand Paul Launches Presidential Campaign

Now a candidate, Rand Paul makes NH stop at Murphy's Taproom

LOUISVILLE, Ky. U.S. Sen. Rand Paul accused his fellow Republicans on Tuesday of contributing to Washingtons dysfunction, launching a 2016 White House bid with a vow to shatter the status quo and defend individual freedoms.

The first-term senator from Kentucky, a libertarian with a reputation for challenging party orthodoxy, criticized both Republicans and Democrats for helping to drive up the federal debt and reduce personal liberties.

He cast himself as an anti-establishment reformer who could break partisan gridlock and win new converts to the party, saying his fellow Republicans fall prey to the allure of special interests in Washington.

The Washington machine that gobbles up our freedoms and invades every nook and cranny of our lives must be stopped, he told cheering supporters while standing on a flag-draped stage in Louisville, Ky.

Both parties and the entire political system are to blame, he said. Too often, when Republicans have won, weve squandered our victory by becoming part of the Washington machine. Thats not who I am.

Paul is the second major Republican to jump into the 2016 race after Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. A crowded field is expected, with candidates competing hard for constituencies ranging from the Christian right to traditional Wall Street Republicans.

In a speech that kicked off a four-day campaign trip to the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, the 52-year-old former eye surgeon took a shot at unnamed Republican foes, warning against nominating someone from the party who is a Democrat-lite.

Republican strategists said Pauls attack was a familiar effort to stand out in a big field.

Rand Paul is trying to cast himself as the anti-big government, anti-D.C. machinery, anti-establishment candidate, Republican strategist Ana Navarro said. Hes made an art form out of it and made a name for himself in the process.

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Republican Rand Paul makes Presidential candidacy official

Congressman Mike Coffman has been studying Spanish for less than two years, but he launches into it with the seeming comfort and ability of a veteran speaker.

The Colorado Republican, who won re-election in 2014 in what was considered the most competitive House race in the country, drew some skepticism when he began taking Spanish and going to Latino neighborhoods and adopting a more moderate view of issues such as comprehensive immigration reform.

His districts boundaries were redrawn in 2011, after the Census came out a year earlier, and suddenly the predominantly white, Republican area was ethnically diverse including 20 percent Latino and was winnable by a Democrat.

That made last year's mid-term election, as Politico put it, "a proxy war for the national Democratic and Republican parties" in the battle for the growing Latino electorate.

Coffman, 60, does not deny that the need to reach out to Latinos, a community he concedes that he knew very little about, was non-negotiable if he was to remain in Congress.

But what began as a survival tactic, Coffman said, developed into a genuine interest and respect for Latinos and the Spanish language.

Where many politicians drop such outreach and nearly vanish from certain communities once an election is over, Coffman, who won re-election in 2012 and 2014, engages with Latinos and studies the language as if he were still campaigning.

Es muy importante para la comunidad, Coffman said in an interview with Fox News Latino where the questions were in English but he often responded in Spanish.

Its a sign of respect for the community, he said, translating his response to why he dove into learning Spanish, a language he continues to study several times a week with his Colombian-born tutor. Its been exciting for me to reach out to Hispanics, Asians, African immigrants and learn.

My district totally, dramatically changed, Coffman said. I lost a lot of my more Republican areas, and got a heavy immigrant population.

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GOP congressman Mike Coffman keeps up Latino outreach long after re-election