Homophobes are celebrating Pete Buttigieg leaving the presidential race as a ‘blessing for the nation’

Democratic presidential candidate and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg (L) is introduced by his husband, Chasten Glezman Buttigie. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A Christian group is celebrating after Pete Buttigieg withdrew from the presidential race, calling his decision a “blessing” because his sexuality is “contrary to the Bible”.

The National Association of Christian Lawmakers made the comments in a statement posted to Facebook just hours after Pete Buttigieg announced that he was pulling out of the race.

“This is a blessing for our nation,” the group wrote.

“This man held views contrary to the Bible regarding life and marriage. We are fortunate he is no longer running for president. Join us today to help take a stand for God and country.”

Anti-LGBT+ Christian group celebrates gay candidate Pete Buttigieg withdrawing from the presidential race.

The National Association of Christian Lawmakers was founded by Arkansas Republican Jason Rapert in 2018. He also shared the statement from his group on his own Facebook page.

The senator has made headlines on a number of occasions for his anti-LGBT+ views. Earlier this month, he hit out at Sesame Street after the children’s television series announced that gay Pose actor Billy Porter will star in an upcoming episode.

This man held views contrary to the Bible regarding Life and Marriage. We are fortunate he is no longer running for president.

He was also behind a 2017 state senate resolution that defined marriage as a “union of one man and one woman” despite the fact that marriage equality was already a reality.

Buttigieg pulled out of the race following a poor showing in South Carolina.

The group’s comments come after Buttigieg announced last night that he was withdrawing from the race for the Democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential election. He pulled out following a poor showing in the South Carolina primary where he came in fourth place.

The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana had a surprisingly successful run in the year since he first announced his candidacy. He won the Iowa caucus and performed well in New Hampshire, but had struggled to capture the support of Black voters.

He made history as the first openly gay candidate to seek one of the major party’s presidential nominations – and subsequently faced a significant amount of homophobia from right-wing Christian groups who suggested his sexuality made him unfit for the presidency.