Andrew Reid Kristin M. Davis.

Kristin M. Davis, the former escort service madam who is running for governor, is a constant source of one-liners – many of which are scarcely fit for publication. She tries to take the sting out of a gay slur by using it to underline her support of same-sex marriage. And her supporters are treated to a range of brothel humor on her Facebook page. But at the same time, Ms. Davis, who is also the former vice president of a hedge fund, says that she and her four-prong platform — legalize marijuana, prostitution, gay marriage and casino gambling — are no joke.

During the Eliot Spitzer scandal, the authorities shut down her escort service. Ms. Davis, 35, then spent four months on Rikers Island reading fellow libertarians Ayn Rand and Ludwig von Mises before mounting her bid backed by 50 Cent and California pot growers to run the Empire State. The Anti-Prohibition Party candidate chatted with The Local about learning from her past, living in the East Village and why she’s the only real “pro-freedom” candidate.

What do you like about the East Village? Have you ever visited?

I actually used to live in the East Village, when I first moved to New York, off First Avenue above Karma. It’s one of my favorite areas. If you’re into food, you can get anything and everything in the East Village. I used to spend a lot of time at Karma. I’m very disappointed that Waikiki Wally’s is no longer around. My friend, Eric, owns Lit. I used to go to Dolphin Fitness, off Fourth Street. Veselka is my favorite place for goulash — I call it stroganoff, but whatever.

Many East Village voters are concerned with other issues besides legalizing marijuana and prostitution. Why should they vote for you and not Warren Redlich?

Warren Redlich is not a real libertarian, let’s get that straight. Redlich is for the gas tax. I’m the real pro-freedom candidate. I don’t think a traffic attorney from Albany has any understanding of what goes on in the East Village or the rest of Manhattan. I believe in the lowest amount of taxation, I want government out of the bedroom and out of the boardroom and I’m pro-freedom. 
Barry Goldwater said a government big enough to give you everything can take everything you have. That’s something that might resonate with the East Village since it’s a more artistic area.

Andrew Reid Ms. Davis says that her four-pronged platform involves legalizing marijuana, prostitution, gay marriage and casino gambling.

What about education funding and student loans? These are chief concerns for students in the East Village.

I think it all goes back to the economy. When there’s money, we can do things, you know what I mean? When we have a surplus in our budget, we can actually take on these issues. At the present moment, we can’t. Until you restore economic growth, you can’t tackle the smaller stuff.

You had some trouble settling on a party name: How’d you pick the Anti-Prohibition Party? It sounds like a throwback to 1920’s bootlegging.

That’s kind of the point. Now that’s it’s legal, we see how much tax revenue we get off of it and how it’s part of mainstream society. But not long ago, people were speaking out about how alcohol was evil, and you could be put in jail just for drinking it. This point is worth remembering when we talk about ending the prohibition on marijuana. Marijuana was legal here for hundreds of years. The first marijuana laws were enacted to direct farmers to grow Indian hemp seed. It was a legal form of cash, it was legal tender — you could pay your taxes with hemp. It was considered very normal.

You’ve said, “I know it’s a long shot, but my campaign necessarily isn’t about winning. It’s about putting these issues in front of the politicians.” How many votes equal a victory for the campaign?

Andrew Reid Ms. Davis is also the former vice president of a hedge fund.

Our main goal is to get 50,000 votes to establish ballot status for the next four years. So 50,000 is roughly 1 percent of the vote. I would be happy with 1 percent, but would love to see 3 or 4 percent. I think Andrew Cuomo’s comments prove that he’s paying attention to our particular campaign. If he sees that 100,000 voted for the Anti-Prohibition Party, he’s got to start taking our issues seriously. Even if that means just one, such as same-sex marriage, then we’ve accomplished something. 
I used to think that my voice didn’t matter. Prior to my arrest, I thought the guy with the most money wins anyway, that these things are in the hands of special interests, you know, that it doesn’t matter. It was when I got concerned with the corruption because I was part of it that I realized I could make a difference, or at least die trying.

The Anti-Prohibition Party site mentions four issues —prohibitions on marijuana, prostitution, gay marriage and casino gambling — but if you had to pick a fifth issue for the platform, what would it be?

Probably fighting corruption in Albany. I don’t think Andrew Cuomo is the guy for that job. I don’t think a career politician is ever going to go up against career politicians. He was the chief executive for law enforcement in this state, and he’s saying he’s going to end corruption in Albany. What’s he been doing for the past four years?

What’s in store for Kristin Davis and the Anti-Prohibition Party after Election Day?

I hope that we get 50,000 votes and can go into officially establishing the Anti-Prohibition Party. From there, we will work to get party members and work on trying to lobby for these causes. That’s the difference between me and somebody like Warren Redlich. If you say “the madam who’s running,” people know who I am. I hope that voters will say, “Blood, sweat and tears have gone into this campaign. They’re going to keep fighting.”