Christian conservative Bryan Fischer has said that Pete Buttigieg, the openly gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is not qualified to become president because of his sexuality.

On Sunday, Buttigieg formally entered the 2020 presidential race. In making his announcement, Buttigieg shared a kiss with his husband Chasten. The announcement sparked a flood of interest in Buttigieg's campaign and the candidate raised $1 million within four hours.

Several early polls show Buttigieg in third place for the Democratic presidential nomination behind former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

Prior to Buttigieg's announcement, Fischer, who is vocally opposed to LGBT rights, wrote in a OneNewsNow op-ed that Buttigieg's “sexual proclivities are enough all by themselves to disqualify him from the Oval Office.”

“Under a Buttigieg presidency, it would indeed be 'Homosexuality Uber Alles,'” he said, which is commonly translated from German as “above all.” (It actually means “more than anything else.”)

“Buttigieg’s own sexual preference is a huge problem in all this. His identity is wrapped up in getting societal approval for his behavior. He cannot live in a society that does not celebrate his sexual choices. If that means trampling on the First Amendment, tough darts.”

“Bottom line: President Pete Buttigieg will be the greatest threat to religious liberty in our nation’s history. Consider yourself warned,” Fischer added.