Liberty University, the religious university based in Lynchburg, VA, makes a practice of renting its student email list to political candidates.
In its most recent apparent transaction, it
leased the list to GOP Senate candidate Corey Stewart for $9,754.8, according to the News & Advance. Stewart made the first of two payments late last year, it adds.
Jerry Falwell Jr.,
president of the university, said the list contains probably tens of thousands of names of students and donors, the News & Advance continues.
“We only rent it out to
politicians,” Falwell told the paper. “We feel like it’s a way of informing our constituency about what the choices are and what the policies are of various politicians. We see it as
a public service.”
Records show that at least one local candidate has also used the email list. The school will rent to either political party, counsel says.
However, the
News & Advance reports that no other private colleges or universities have conducted similar list transactions with federal candidates, according to FEC records.
Stewart is seeking to
unseat Democratic Senator Tim Kaine.