I received more than one irate phone call today, all centered on complaints about Liberty University and its affect on elections this Tuesday. While WSLS was kinder about the way Liberty University affected yesterday’s elections, my contacts were fit to be tied. The debate was over Shannon Valentine, a known conservative Democrat, and her battle over the House of Delegate Seat with Republican Scott Garrett.
Although Valentine was ahead in the polls last evening with nineteen out of twenty precincts reporting, my sources tell me that Liberty Students were rounded up, bused into Lynchburg, and told to vote for Scott Garrett. According to my sources, many Lynchburg citizens are not happy about this turn of events, and it was the highlight of conversation at the Y as well as at many local Lynchburg coffee shops this morning.
According to WSLS, the precinct where LU students vote was the last to report, pushing Garrett ahead by a mere 208 votes.
Incumbent Democrat Shannon Valentine was winning the 23rd House of Delegates race over Republican Scott Garrett until votes were counted in that precinct. Then Garrett was declared the winner, as votes in that last precinct rolled in at 1,964 for Garrett and 324 for Valentine.
What upsets those voters who were behind Shannon is that – surprise – many of them are Republican and right-leaning Independents Their ire exists, in part, because the Obama campaign pushed for the law that now allows college students to vote where they go to school. This law, which seemed at the time to help push a Democratic agenda, appears now to be a tool to determine outcome based upon any given school’s given agenda.
In the case of Liberty University, it seems that no matter how conservative a Democrat incumbent might be, this university wants a Republican agenda. According to Americans United, Falwell has built a voting bloc at Liberty that includes as many as 1,700 students. Additionally, when he learned about Garrett’s possible win, Falwell responded, “I’m elated, to say the least.”
While students have a mind of their own, many people wonder how much influence Jerry Falwell, Jr. had on yesterday’s election. One complainant stated, “He [Falwell] stated once that he would own this town, and I swear he’s being true to his word.”
Falwell’s political activity does raise some questions about federal tax laws. While Liberty officials as individuals have every right to support candidates, their support becomes questionable when it is used to steer political power from a tax-exempt university base. The answer might lie in how university resources were used to support a candidate, including any partisan bent in the university-sponsored newspaper.
By Wednesday afternoon (today), Valentine conceded the race and stated that she will not demand a recount.
Despite this concession, Falwell may not realize that he has raised the ire of some Lynchburg Republicans and right-leaning Independents who supported Shannon Valentine. Although those voters must live with the fact that Liberty students can turn the tide on what city residents desire, the anger is directed solely at Jerry Falwell, Jr. and his glee over the power he now seems to wield.
Does Falwell now own Lynchburg? You decide.
I have a better question. Do the liberal democrats and their strong armed union thugs own DC and our country now.
what is the name of the plant near Liberty University that makes Uranium?
There is a Babcock & Wilcox facility on Mt. Athos road. See http://www2.wsls.com/sls/news/local/lynchburg/article/feds_investigate_accident_at_lynchburg_bw_plant/41603/ about their uranium accident in July this year. Areva, the French nuclear development company, is located in Lynchburg as well. Although there was mention of a dilution of this facility earlier this year, they do plan to expand their facilities. See: http://www2.newsadvance.com/lna/news/opinion/editorials/article/a_step_toward_high-tech_jobs_for_the_region/21307/
If the people of Lynchburg are so mad at Liberty, let me remind you that there is CVCC, Randolph Macon, and Lynchburg College that could have made an effort to vote and totally changed the race. And only 2500 Liberty kids voted! Liberty has over 11,000 students on campus, and only less than a fourth actually voted. It’s the people of Lynchburg that voted in that precinct too that want Garrett.
Whaa Whaa What goes around comes around. Its okay for Acorn to bus people, Sign up dead people but when Liberty follows the rules, they did nothing wrong at all, people still complain. Lynchburg should be grateful that young people were involved in the process. Liberty is know for being a Christian School. What do you expect, they have values and voted their consience.