Democrat Feud In Virginia Escalates As Gov. Spanberger Reportedly Pulls Petty Move

Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger reportedly knocked state Democrat senators’ bills from her ceremonial bill signing Tuesday, escalating a budget and data center feud within the party.

Virginia state Democratic Sens. Mike Jones and Russet Perry exited a ceremonial bill signing for gun violence prevention laws early, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told the Virginia Scope. Perry and Jones were sitting in seats labeled with their name placards when someone from Spanberger’s staff requested to talk to them in the hallway, according to these sources.

The staffer allegedly informed the senators that the governor had eliminated their bills from the signing since they had taken part in the “data center listening tour” that Democrat state Sen. Louise Lucas is leading throughout Virginia.

The outlet confirmed that Perry and Jones were in the room before the signing began but were no longer present while Spanberger was speaking.

Spanberger invited two Dem lawmakers to a bill signing.

Reserved seats with their names on them.

Waited until they arrived.

Then had a staffer escort them into the hallway and tell them to leave. 🍿🍿🍿 pic.twitter.com/cIRqVKMscD

— Erik Telford (@ErikTelford) June 18, 2026

The Daily Caller reached out to Spanberger, Jones and Perry for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

“It’s a shame the governor decided to take these actions today,” Perry told the Virginia Scope. “I’ve never been publicly critical or disparaging of her and genuinely wish her the best. But it is my job as a senator, in a coequal branch, to fight for my constituents. And I’m not going to stop listening to them and working for them, especially on issues as important in my district as data centers.” (RELATED: New Republican Legislation Could Be Arming BlackRock-Owned Data Centers)

Spanberger’s reported move Tuesday escalated a feud within the Virginia Democratic Party over data center tax breaks in the state’s fiscal year 2027-2028 budget. Virginia’s current sales and use tax exemption for data centers results in approximately $1.6 billion in lost revenue, according to the state’s Department of Accounts Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for FY2025.

Spanberger and Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott hope to outline new conditions and limitations for the data center tax break instead of repealing it, according to The Roanoke Times. But Lucas wants to end the exemption entirely in January 2027 instead of allowing it to expire in 2035.

Lucas previously blasted Spanberger for her stance on data centers, saying the governor needed to “be honest” and “tell the public” 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.” Lucas also labeled Spanberger a “Data Center Diva” after negotiations over the tax breaks slowed at a budget meeting. Lucas is now leading “a listening tour” to learn how data centers impact Virginia communities.

Scott told The Roanoke Times that Lucas had sparked “a civil war among Democrats.”

The Virginia House of Delegates canceled a special session for approving the budget set to take place Thursday, according to the Virginia Scope. Virginia will run out of funding June 30 if the legislature cannot reach a compromise.