Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg told voters Saturday that his marriage to his husband exists "by the grace of a single vote on the U.S. Supreme Court."
The South Bend, Indiana, mayor visited South Carolina for the first time since announcing his presidential exploratory committee. The 37-year-old would be the first openly gay presidential nominee from a major political party.
Buttigieg referenced the landmark 2015 Supreme Court ruling that granted, in a 5-4 decision, same-sex couples a right to marry. He married his husband, Chasten Glezman, last year.
Speaking in Columbia, South Carolina, Buttigieg recalled when his father was undergoing chemotherapy and his mother learned she needed a triple bypass as an example of what's at stake in the 2020 presidential election.
Buttigieg said Glezman was able to stay at the hospital with his mother while he went to tell his father because his husband "is a member of our family."
Buttigieg told the crowd that his candidacy may seem unlikely, but added that maybe it was time the party nominated a millennial from a red state.
He acknowledged the more "traditional" route to the White House is to spend years in Washington before running. But he said the country "would be better served if Washington started looking more like our best-run cities."
Buttigieg said that as a millennial he has a greater stake in the future of the country and more urgency to tackle issues like climate change.