Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Pete ButtigiegButtigieg stands in as Pence for Harris's debate practice Hillicon Valley: FBI, DHS warn that foreign hackers will likely spread disinformation around election results | Social media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day | Trump to meet with Republican state officials on tech liability shield Facebook takes down Chinese network targeting Philippines, Southeast Asia and the US MORE, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., said Tuesday that even "polite people" sometimes advance "policies that harm you and your family."

People will often be polite to you in person, while advancing policies that harm you and your family. You will be polite to them in turn, but you need not stand for such harms. Instead, you push back, honestly and emphatically. So it goes, in the public square. — Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) April 9, 2019

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The tweet came after a spokesperson for Vice President Pence earlier Tuesday responded to Buttigieg's criticism of Pence by noting that the former Indiana governor once called Buttigieg a "dedicated public servant."

"I hold Mayor Buttigieg in the highest personal regard. We have a great working relationship. I see him as a dedicated public servant, and a patriot," Pence said in 2015, according to a local CBS affiliate, after Buttigieg came out as gay.

Since some are asking: the last time we recall Pence even mentioned @PeteButtigieg was in 2015, after news that Pete came out, Pence said: “I hold Mayor Buttigieg in the highest personal regard. I see him as a dedicated public servant and a patriot" https://t.co/iNjrAzplQk — Alyssa Farah (@Alyssafarah) April 9, 2019

On Sunday, Buttigieg took on Pence — who opposed legalizing gay marriage — by saying that if Pence has a "problem with who I am," then the "quarrel" is with his creator.

"Speaking only for myself, I can tell you that if me being gay was a choice, it was a choice that was made far, far above my pay grade," Buttigieg said at the LGBTQ Victory Fund's annual brunch.

"And that’s the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand," he continued. "If you’ve got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator."