A number of Republican and Democratic lawmakers in Virginia have expressed support for the effort by Governor Glenn Youngkin and Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson to bring the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals to Virginia, though one high profile state senator has ruled out the possibility without significant action.
The plan to relocate the professional sports teams was announced on December 15, 2023, when Youngkin said it would require $1.35 billion in public dollars, making it the “largest-ever public subsidy for a project of its kind,” according to The Washington Post.
Less than one month later, the plan has the tentative support of Virginia State Senators Mark Peake (R-Richmond), Glen Sturtevant Jr. (R-Midlothian), Danny Diggs (R-Staunton), and Delegate Phillip Scott (R-Spotsylvania) when WSET asked the lawmakers.
Some Democrats also expressed willingness to cooperate with Youngkin and Republicans to make the deal happen, with State Senator Suhas Subramanyam (D-Loudoun) telling the outlet he is a “maybe.” The lawmaker acknowledged, “it could be a great economic partnership with the teams to come to Northern Virginia,” benefiting his constituents, but expressed concerns about creating a “stadium authority that’s going to protect the taxpayers” by ensuring “no income taxes will be going toward a stadium.”
Youngkin previously said most of the $1.35 billion necessary for the new development will come from increased revenue generated by the Wizards and Capitals, but Subramanyam told the outlet he wants the project to be paid “through a bond proposal only.”
Senator Dave Marsden (D-Fairfax) was more receptive, lauding to the outlet Youngkin’s plan to pay for the facility with “revenue created at that site and not anywhere else.” He added, “This would be a situation where we are recovering money from the District of Columbia and Maryland coming to ball games in northern Virginia.” Still, Marsden questioned “how rural Republican delegates are looking at” the proposal, representing a significant investment to the northern part of the Commonwealth.
Some Democrats have been less receptive, with Senator Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) ruling out supporting the move unless Youngkin and Republicans help achieve her goals.
“Anyone who thinks I am going to approve an arena in Northern Virginia using state tax dollars before we deliver on toll relief and for public schools in Hampton Roads must think I have dumbass written on my forehead,” wrote Lucas in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Youngkin said in a December 2023 statement that moving the Wizards and Capitals would create 30,000 new jobs in Virginia.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Washington Capital Players” by All-Pro Reels. CC BY 2.0.
