Gay Dem Candidate Buttigieg Compares Christians to Islamic Extremists, Calls Pence 'Fanatical'

Democratic presidential hopeful and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is taking his attacks on Christianity up a notch, comparing Christians to radical Muslims.

The Daily Wire reports Buttigieg made the comments during a radio interview Friday with Hugh Hewitt. 

During the interview Hewitt asked Buttigieg about the threat of Islamic extremism.

"Do you find Iranians' variant of Shia extremism to be more dangerous to the world than the Sunni variant that we see in the Taliban and perhaps in Hamas and some of the more radical elements of Wahhabism?" Hewitt asked.

"Well, you know, not unlike Christianity when it is motivating someone to do something extreme," Buttigieg responded, "it can have a thousand different flavors."

Meanwhile, Buttigieg says he's a Christian, but he's been touting his homosexuality and his marriage to a man named Chasten Glezman as a campaign issue, lashing out repeatedly at Vice President Mike Pence over his conservative Christian views.  

On the campaign trail, Buttigieg has blasted Pence's cultural and religious conservatism.

Appearing on The Stephen Colbert Show last month, Buttigieg said of Pence, "He's nice. If he were here, you would think he's a nice guy to your face. But he's also fanatical."

He lashed out at the vice president for his biblical views on sexuality.

"If it was a choice," Buttigieg said of being same-sex attracted, "it was a choice made way above my pay grade."

He added, "What he doesn't realize is that his quarrel is with my Creator."

Meanwhile, Pence told CNBC that Buttigieg "knows better" than to say "things that are critical of my Christian faith and about me personally," adding that the pair "had a great working relationship" during their time in Indiana politics when Pence was governor.