Buttigieg doesn't flaunt his homosexuality, but he doesn't make much effort to mask it either. That's not an accident, it's a strategy. It makes him heroic, and it makes me even more determined to support him. But it's not the game plan that will get him the nomination in 2020.

I believe the first "tell" in Buttigieg's thinking came even as he formally declared his candidacy. When he concluded his eloquent speech at the former Studebaker factory in South Bend last month the crowd roared its approval. Then his husband Chasten, 29, bounded onto the stage and the couple kissed.

The story from the ultra-conservative Breitbart news service was headlined, "Supporters Cheer Pete Buttigieg Kissing Husband Chasten at 2020 Campaign Kick Off." A few days later when Buttigieg appeared on "Late Night" host Seth Meyers held up a photo of The Kiss. Shortly after that CBS’s "Sunday Morning" profiled Buttigieg and the piece included not one but two images of the Buttigiegs kissing.

In an interview this month with "The Advocate," a publication devoted to gay issues, podcast host Jeffrey Masters told Buttigieg: "If I was working for your staff, I would have to question is it okay for Pete to kiss his husband at this campaign rally."

Masters was talking strategy. Implicit in his comment was the fear that by pushing gay imagery too hard, too soon, Buttigieg would hurt his chances with voters who are more socially conservative than his early supporters, particularly regarding LGBTQ issues.

"I just realized that I had to be who I was," Buttigieg replied. "It’s too much work to try to be someone else, and so we trusted people. And the amazing thing is for the most part that trust was vindicated."

Indeed, when Buttigieg came out gay during his reelection campaign in South Bend he trusted his instincts and he won with a remarkable 80 percent of the vote. The same candor while campaigning for president has been widely publicized, notably on a Time magazine cover featuring the Buttigiegs and the headline "First Family."

But to some marketing strategists that's the wrong play on the national stage. When Buttigieg was interviewed recently on MSNBC the first question from advertising expert Donny Deutsch was whether being gay should be among several of Buttigieg's core principles, or the singular, defining element of his campaign.

"It's something you think about as you're presenting yourself to a broader public," Buttigieg said, without actually explaining his strategy. He quickly added that the diverse elements in his background—military vet, Rhodes Scholar, Midwesterner of Episcopalian faith plus, of course, his marriage—are all parts of his story. Yet, it was clear to me that the articulate and seemingly wise-beyond-his-37-years Democrat is making the long play.

If Pete Buttigieg thought he had a real chance of winning the nomination in this cycle he would be following the advice of Jeffrey Masters and Donny Deutsch. He would be prideful, but more restrained in projecting his sexual orientation. On the other hand, if he realized that his real chance will come in eight years, it would be smart, even shrewd, to emphasize gay pride now, because it will prime the public for next time.

Hillary Clinton came close in 2008. Although she lost to Barack Obama, she spoke proudly of making 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling that kept women from the White House. Eight years later, she was odds on favorite to win. Only a perfect storm of bad luck and poor judgment—not to mention the Electoral College system—caused her defeat. But the fact is she came within a whisker of being the first woman president, just as Pete Buttigieg has an excellent chance, next time, of becoming the first openly gay president.

Democrats currently have an unprecedented roster of qualified candidates, including six women. The early front runners with high name recognition are laying out detailed policy positions, while newcomers like Buttigieg are still in the get-to-know-me stage. His website has long had a "Meet Pete" tab, but an "Issues" section was only added the other day.

Whether by chance or remarkable foresight, Buttigieg's life story reads like a presidential resume—from Harvard, to Oxford, to McKinsey & Company, to the front lines in Afghanistan. Running without winning right now doesn't hurt that narrative, it embellishes it.

On the stump, Pete Buttigieg often says he's worried about what the world will be like in 2054, the year when he will reach the age of the current president. What he doesn't mention is that there will be nine presidential elections between now and then—nine chances to elect a gay chief executive. Even if the 2020 odds are against him, he’s a good bet to someday become the most prideful winner of all.

(c) Peter Funt. This column originally appeared in USA Today.