Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old upstart Democratic presidential candidate and mayor of South Bend, Ind., said in an interview published Tuesday that gay marriage is “conservative” and “moves” him closer to God.

“It saddens me because when I think about the blessings of marriage,” Buttigieg said in response to a question about the divisiveness of gay marriage in religion from Catholic priest, Father Edward Beck, in a CNN interview .

“First of all, it's one of the most conservative things about my life, very conventional. It is morally one of the best things in my life. Being married to Chasten makes me a better person. I would even say it moves me closer to God,” added Buttigieg.

Buttigieg came out in the local South Bend newspaper in 2015 days before the Supreme Court issued its ruling changing over a dozen statewide laws regarding marriage, and Buttigieg’s campaign represents the possibility of the first openly gay president.

Buttigieg, who was baptized Catholic and attends an Episcopal church, has been vocal about expressing that religion and the Left should not be at odds.

In an appearance last month on “Morning Joe,” Buttigieg argued the left needs to “reclaim faith.”

He said: "The time has come for more of a Religious Left to emerge in our country that lets people know they are not alone when they look at faith."



"The time has come for more of a Religious Left to emerge in our country that lets people know they are not alone when they look at faith" Mayor @PeteButtigieg delivered a powerful message about progressive Christianity to @JoeNBC and @morningmika today on @Morning_Joe. pic.twitter.com/C9pVmdNAPr — Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons (@GuthrieGF) March 20, 2019



Buttigieg also criticized Vice President Mike Pence, a staunch social conservative and opponent of gay marriage. “The idea that God wants somebody like Mike Pence to be the cheerleader for a president largely known for his association with hush money to adult film actresses seems to me to give God very little credit,” Buttigieg said.

Buttigieg’s campaign has been on the rise in recent weeks, reporting a first quarter fundraising haul of $7 million.