The mayor’s comments on health care, education and same-sex marriage raised applause from the crowd, and he repeatedly tried to distinguish himself as a candidate who is more than just an ultra-liberal from San Francisco. San Joaquin County voted overwhelmingly in favor of Proposition 8, the measure to ban same-sex marriages. He spoke for about an hour before a crowd of more than 300 people at the University of the Pacific, insisting that San Francisco is not so different from Stockton or the rest of the conservative San Joaquin County – left-leaning politics and wacky reputation aside. “There’s nothing inherently unique in San Francisco,” Newsom said, in response to a question about how he could expand San Francisco’s universal health care program to the rest of the state.

I care about real, tangible, measurable results.” He seemed a bit more subdued than he has at previous campaign events – he joked a little less often and didn’t run around the audience as much as he has in the past – but he stuck to a familiar banter, fielding many of the same questions he’s addressed at events in the Bay Area on the economy, education and the environment. He did very well,” said Gayle Speare, 55, who moved to Stockton from San Francisco three years ago. Being a somewhat fresher face probably doesn’t hurt him.” Even so, Newsom had his critics in the crowd, and he didn’t win all of them over.

Tommie Ware-Muhammed, 62 and a lifelong San Joaquin County resident, attempted to ask Newsom a question about black residents leaving San Francisco, but was cut off before he could finish his question as the mayor cut in to talk about the steps he’s taken to retain minority populations.

E-mail Erin Allday at eallday@sfchronicle.com. 

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