Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has said he is proud of his marriage and his husband.

He was addressing comments from conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh about whether voters would elect him because he’s been “kissing his husband” on stage after debates.

Mr Buttigieg, the first openly gay politician to make a serious pitch for the presidency, says America should have politics that welcomes everybody.

He added: “I’m not going to be lectured on family values from the like of Rush Limbaugh, or anybody who supports Donald J. Trump as the moral as well as the political leader of the United States.”

Happy Valentine’s Day to the one I love. pic.twitter.com/HMetg3zVoV — Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) February 14, 2020

Limbaugh said this past week that he envisioned Democrats concluding that “despite all the great ground that’s been covered, that America’s still not ready to elect a gay guy kissing his husband on the debate stage president”.

Mr Buttigieg said he came out as gay during a general election as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and received more support from voters than he did in his first race.

Mr Buttigieg, 38, spoke on CNN’s State Of The Union and Fox News Sunday.

He noted that, while he loves his husband, that on stage, “we usually just go for a hug”.