Ron Paul's opening comments on his first official trip as a 2012 Republican presidential were enough to bring the audience to its feet.

It looks to me like the revolution is alive and well, Paul said as he took the podium. And it's growing too!

Speaking in Nevada for the second time in two months, Paul spoke on the importance of a free-market economy, property rights, the government's invasion civil liberties, and freedom in general, Fox News reported.

If I am the president, all I want to do is release you from the burden of government, Paul said.

His speech came just 24 hours after his competition for the Republican nomination, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, raised more than $10 million during a phone bank fundraiser at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

I think there's an understanding (in Nevada of) what freedom is all about, Paul said. It's different than other parts of the country.

As Nevada is considered a key battleground state, Paul said this visit is only the first of many.