Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker announced Tuesday he is officially the 15th Republican to throw his hat in the crowded race for the White House in 2016.

In a speech to supporters in Waukesha, Wis., Walker said if his “big, bold reforms” can work in Wisconsin, the blue-state he has governed since 2011, they can work in Washington, D.C.

Walker opened with a personal story, telling the crowd how he admired veterans in his hometown, and those veterans helped him learn about how government works. He said the veterans were involved in his small town and taught him to love God and his country.

“These veterans remind me that America is a can-do kind of country,” Walker said. “We just have a government in Washington that can’t seem to get the job done. Washington, or as I call it, 68 square miles surrounded by reality.”

Walker called for “real reforms” and touted education reform that restores local control and job training for welfare requirements that were passed in Wisconsin.

“We understand that true freedom and prosperity don’t come from the mighty hand of the government, they come from empowering people to live their own lives and control their own destinies through the dignity that comes from work,” he said.

Walker said as president, he would pursue a “pro-growth” policy that helps families “earn, save and achieve their piece of the American Dream.”

“Instead of the top-down, government-knows-best approach we hear from politicians in Washington, we need to build the economy from the ground up in a way that is new and fresh, organic and dynamic,” Walker said. “As long as you don’t violate the health and safety of your neighbors — go out and start your own career, build your own business, live your own life.”

He said specifically we should repeal Obamacare, rein in federal regulations, put in place an “all of the above” energy policy, approve the Keystone XL pipeline, restore local education standards and cut taxes.

“To prosper, however, we need a safe and stable world,” Walker said.

On foreign policy, Walker critiqued the Obama administration’s foreign policy, saying leading from behind is sending America toward a “disaster.” He said President Obama’s policies in Syria, Iran, Iraq and Yemen have all failed.

“Earlier this year, the president proclaimed that climate change is the greatest threat to future generations,” Walker said. “Well, Mr. President, I respectfully disagree. The greatest threat to future generations is radical Islamic terrorism, and we need to do something about it.”

He called for lifting “political restrictions on our military personnel” to fight ISIS in the Middle East, start treating Israel like an ally and work to stop Russian aggression.

“America is a great country. We just need to lead again,” he said. “It’s not too late. We can do it because we’ve done it before.”

Before serving as governor, Walker served in the Wisconsin General Assembly from 1993-2002 and as executive of Milwaukee County, Wis. from 2002-2010.

As governor since 2011, Walker made national headlines during a collective bargaining dispute. It led to massive protests at the State Capitol and activists were able to trigger a recall election of Walker, which he survived in 2012 by about 7 percent of the vote.

Walker has been floated as a potential 2016 candidate since his recall election and has been traveling to early voting states often, especially Iowa. Walker stood out to conservative activists following his speech at Rep. Steve King’s “Iowa Freedom Summit” in January. He also appeared at the other large cattle calls, including Bruce Rastetter’s “Iowa Agriculture Summit,” the Iowa GOP’s “Lincoln Dinner” and Sen. Joni Ernst’s “Roast and Ride.”

Walker has stood out in almost every Iowa poll since about February, leading to most pundits calling him the 2016 Iowa Caucus frontrunner up to now. An average of all polls from Real Clear Politics  shows him with an average lead of about eight points.

Walker is the latest governor to jump in the 2016 race, joining 14 other Republicans who have already announced. At least one more governor, John Kasich of Ohio, is expected to jump in the race next week and round out the major names jumping in the crowded Republican field.