When starting a new game as a custom candidate, that candidate's initial issue situation is defined only by the 100 point pool they set at candidate creation.
To test, I created a new candidate called "Test Guy" and gave him 50 points in Withdrawing from Iraq and 50 points in Improving the economy.
As you can see in this screenshot, those are the only two things affecting his issues. His opponent, Mr. Grant, has a full battery of stances on many issues.
This discrepancy only occurs when using a custom candidate. When using the pre-made candidates everything works fine.
