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Will Edward Snowden affect the 2016 presidential race? Yes, it鈥檚 early yet, so in some ways the question appears very premature. But Snowden鈥檚 leaks about the extent of National Security Agency surveillance have launched a wide-ranging discussion about civil liberties in the US. And it鈥檚 already clear that the issue could play a part in the contest for the Republican presidential nomination in particular.

That鈥檚 because Sen. Rand Paul (R) of Kentucky is using civil liberties and NSA overreach as themes with which to frame his brand of libertarianism. This was on full display at the just-completed Conservative Political Action Conference in suburban Washington, D.C. Senator Paul鈥檚 speech was almost entirely about the NSA and what he sees as its infringement on the rights of Americans.

Paul said the American Revolution鈥檚 鈥渟ons of liberty鈥� would 鈥渕ake a bonfire鈥� of the secret orders that authorize NSA actions. In a reference to NSA monitoring of cell phone metadata, he said that 鈥淚 believe what you do on your cell phone is none of their [expletive] business.鈥�

Paul brought up the lawsuit he鈥檚 filed against the NSA for its activities, and said he was talking about electing 鈥渓overs of liberty,鈥� not just Republicans.

鈥淒on鈥檛 forget, there is a great battle going on for the heart and soul of America,鈥� Paul said.

That was pretty tough stuff. The (seemingly) unending stream of revelations from documents made public by Snowden and his journalistic partners is what has made Paul鈥檚 approach possible. But the crowd at CPAC loved it. Paul won the meeting鈥檚 presidential straw poll for the second year running.

鈥淧aul鈥檚 address ... unapologetically heavy with libertarian sentiment was far and away the best-received speech of the weekend,鈥� concluded CNN national .

That doesn鈥檛 mean he鈥檚 assured of the nomination, of course, or even a front-runner. CPAC鈥檚 audience skews young and male, a demographic for which libertarianism is attractive.

But Paul鈥檚 hammering on the NSA issue does separate him from his fellow GOP contenders. In particular it draws a distinction with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, another contender for the backing of tea party groups and adherents.

Senator Cruz, for his part, emphasized over the weekend that he does not agree with Paul鈥檚 non-interventionist views on foreign affairs. He鈥檇 be more hawkish on the Ukraine crisis, for instance. Cruz has signed on to a Senate effort to enact more economic sanctions in Iran, while Paul has not.

鈥淚鈥檓 a big fan of Rand Paul. He and I are good friends. I don鈥檛 agree with him on foreign policy,鈥� Cruz told ABC News' Jonathan Karl for the Sunday talk show "This Week."

The question is whether Paul鈥檚 NSA emphasis can trump traditional GOP hawkishness with primary voters. Edward Snowden himself has said that he believes 鈥渓ibertarian millenials鈥� such as him are a coming trend in US politics. The upcoming GOP race may show whether that generation has become a significant presence in the Republican Party.

鈥淚t鈥檚 clear that libertarians are becoming a vocal faction within the Republican ranks,鈥� writes Jamie Fuller of the Washington Post on political blog.