A powerful Virginia Democrat just escalated her public feud with the state’s Democratic governor — by giving her a nickname.
L. Louise Lucas, president pro tempore of Virginia’s state Senate, called Gov. Abigail Spanberger “a diva” during a Monday interview with CBS affiliate 7News.
“Data center, she’s a diva.”
The clash centers on $1.6 billion in sales and use tax exemptions for data centers — money Lucas wants to claw back, and Spanberger wants to preserve.
Lucas explained the origin of her insult during the interview. “I just happened to be sitting up on the 13th floor, and all of the sudden I got this epiphany,” she said. “Data center, she’s a diva.”
New: I just wrapped up a lengthy interview with @SenLouiseLucas
Senator Lucas on Governor Abigail Spanberger:
“She’s a diva.”
Right now, Gov. Spanberger is fighting to preserve data center tax breaks. Sen. Lucas wants to get rid of the tax breaks.
She had much more to say… pic.twitter.com/YGsaCUBpS0
— Nick Minock (@NickMinock) June 15, 2026
The feud erupted over Virginia’s fiscal year 2027-2028 budget. The state currently exempts data centers from sales and use taxes — a break worth around $1.6 billion in lost revenue, according to the state’s Department of Accounts Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for FY2025.
That exemption expires in 2035. Lucas wants it dead by January 2027.
She first aired the “Data Center Diva” nickname in a June X post, also dubbing House Speaker Don Scott “Amazon Don.” Lucas wrote: “Amazon Don and Data Center Diva, you are making a MONUMENTAL MISTAKE! Maybe you should ask Glenn Youngkin how that worked out for him!”
Amazon Don and Data Center Diva, you are making a MONUMENTAL MISTAKE! Maybe you should ask Glenn Youngkin how that worked out for him!
— L. Louise Lucas (@SenLouiseLucas) June 5, 2026
Lucas has argued the tax breaks shortchange public schools and safety. In a May X post, she wrote that Spanberger “should be honest” and tell constituents “she won’t tax billion dollar corporations to provide long term revenue to help pay for K12 and public safety.”
The 82-year-old state senator is currently the subject of a federal probe tied to a cannabis dispensary she owns. The FBI raided her Portsmouth home and office in May.
Lucas is now holding a “Data Center Listening Tour” across Virginia, inviting communities to share opinions on the tax breaks.
