Libertarian candidate brings presidential campaign to SF

The Libertarian Party’s nominee for president visited San Francisco on Thursday, extolling the virtues of small government and saying 2016 might be the year his minor party plays a major role in the national campaign.

“I would not be doing this if there wasn’t the opportunity to win,” said Gary Johnson, the former two-term New Mexico governor who was also the Libertarian candidate in 2012.

Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party’s candidate for president, appears at an event in San Francisco organized by the Lincoln Initiative. The former Republican governor of New Mexico touts himself as the alternative to major-party candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, whom he calls “the two most measurably polarizing figures running for president ever.” less Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party’s candidate for president, appears at an event in San Francisco organized by the Lincoln Initiative. The former Republican governor of New Mexico touts himself as the ... more Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Libertarian candidate brings presidential campaign to SF 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

The venue Thursday was a conference of about 200 people. But Johnson, 63, has faced larger audiences of late — he and his vice-presidential running mate, former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, have appeared on a CNN “town hall” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Friday, he’ll be on HBO’s “Real Life with Bill Maher.”

There also was an article this month in the English publication the Economist, which mused that the idea of a strong showing this fall by Libertarians “may not be entirely ludicrous.”

Much interest is the contrast to the best-known candidates for the Oval Office, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. They’re the presumptive nominees of the Democratic and Republican parties. They’re also what Johnson called “the two most measurably polarizing figures running for president ever” in a brief interview after his talk.

Johnson, who was the Republican governor of New Mexico from 1995 until 2002, appreciates the current buzz, even if it includes the “is there anyone else?” variety.

“That’s the opportunity they present,” said Johnson, whose first ad with Weld appeared online Thursday. The two former governors offer themselves as “the credible alternative to Clintrump.” As of Thursday evening, the ad had received 1.2 million views on the campaign’s Facebook page.

Thursday, in his debut Bay Area appearance during the campaign, Johnson was far harsher toward Trump than Clinton. The latter represents the “status quo,” he said, but Trump has “said 101 things that would disqualify anyone else from being president of the United States. And tomorrow it’ll be 102.”

In terms of issues, Johnson emphasized libertarian positions likely to resonate with the crowd at the event organized by the Lincoln Initiative, which bills itself as working to bridge “the generational gap between the conservative political community and the technology community.”

The fewer restrictions on Internet use, the better, Johnson said, and he applauded the statewide marijuana legalization measure that will be on the November ballot.

“I do believe that California is going to vote to approve use of marijuana recreationally,” said Johnson, who has served as CEO of a cannabis products company, “and I absolutely believe this is the tipping point nationally.”

The candidate was more guarded on other topics.

“I think we really need to be open to a debate and a discussion about how we keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, and of terrorists,” he said before criticizing measures proposed by Democrats that would ban gun sales to people on no-fly lists, or restrict certain types of ammunition.

In his conversation on-stage with Politico’s Carla Marinucci, Johnson was most comfortable applying Libertarian critiques to a domestic scene where, he suggested, governments at all scales are too eager to intervene.

The push for a higher minimum wage? “Minimum wage is minimum wage — why should government play a role?” he said. “I have never known a person who worked full time and didn’t get ahead.”

The burden of college debts on young adults? “The main reason for high tuition is guaranteed government loans,” Johnson said. “Without them, tuition would be half what it is.”

Johnson also had a suggestion on how to reduce housing costs in the Bay Area.

“If San Francisco were serious about this issue, it would take a six-acre site and build 30,000 units on that site,” Johnson said afterward, hearkening back to a scenario he laid out during his talk: “Without rules, regulations, zoning, what they come up with — there wouldn’t be a need for rent control because housing would be so incredibly affordable.”

John King is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jking@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @johnkingsfchron