Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) spoke at Liberty University on Monday, touching on a number of hot-button issues, according to CNN. Sanders spoke about abortion rights, the history of racism in the U.S., wealth inequality and same-sex marriage. Sanders was before a crowd of 12,000 conservative college students. Liberty is the largest Christian college in America.

"I would hope and I believe that every person in this room today understands that it is unacceptable to judge people, to discriminate against people based on the color of their skin," Sanders said of racism.

"It is very easy for a candidate to speak to people who hold the same views...It's harder but important to reach out to others who look at the world differently," Sanders said in a statement last month, according to The New York Times.

Sanders is running in the Democratic primary against Hillary Clinton, who has been the frontrunner from the onset. Lately, Sanders has been gaining ground in polls and has pulled ahead of Clinton in two key states: Iowa and New Hampshire.

Liberty University is in Lynchburg, Va. It was founded by famous televangelist Jerry Falwell, and it's considered to be one of the most conservative Evangelical schools in the country. Republican candidates often stop here to give speeches, but Sanders might be the first Democratic candidate to take the stage at Liberty, according to The Christian Science Monitor.

"I came here today because I believe from the bottom of my heart that it is vitally important for those of us who hold different views to be able to engage in a civil discourse," he said in his speech.