A powerful Virginia Democrat recently explained the origin of her nickname she coined for the state’s Democratic governor as part of their ongoing feud.
L. Louise Lucas, the president pro tempore of Virginia’s state Senate, called Democrat Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger “a diva” during a Monday interview with CBS affiliate 7News.
“I understand you have a new nickname for the governor,” the 7News reporter said. “Tell us about that.”
“You know, I just happened to be sitting up on the 13th floor, and all of the sudden I got this epiphany,” Lucas 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 arose between Lucas, Spanberger and Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott over providing tax breaks for data centers in the state’s fiscal year 2027-2028 budget. The state currently provides a sales and use tax exemption for data centers, worth around $1.6 billion in lost revenue according to the state’s Department of Accounts Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for FY2025. The exemption is set to expire in 2035, though Lucas hopes to end the exemption in January 2027.
Lucas previously mentioned data centers in a May 2026 X post, writing, “I believe there should be an expiration date for data center sales and use tax exemption. Those companies can afford to pay their fair share.” The senator wrote in another X post that Spanberger “should be honest” and tell her constituents that “she won’t tax billion dollar corporations to provide long term revenue to help pay for K12 and public safety and to backfill the federal cuts from Trump.”
She first coined Spanberger’s nickname, “Data Center Diva,” after negotiations regarding the tax breaks stalled during a budget meeting. In a June 2026 X post, 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 is currently the subject of a federal probe in connection to a cannabis dispensary she owns, with the FBI raiding her Portsmouth home and office in May. (RELATED: FBI Corruption Probe Subject Louise Lucas Has A Foul-Mouthed Social Media History)
The 82-year-old is currently holding a “Data Center Listening Tour” featuring fellow state senators across Virginia, inviting communities to share their opinions on the state’s tax breaks for data centers.