Q&A for U.S. Senate shows Virginia’s Warner and Mizusawa agree data centers are a problem, but they’d fix it differently

The United States Senate is made up of 100 members, two from each state. U.S. Senators serve staggered, six-year terms. The powers of the Senate are outlined in the Constitution. You can learn more about those powers here.

Mark Warner (D) has served as senator since 2008 and was the governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006. He is being challenged by Bert Mizusawa (R). This is Mizusawa’s second bid for senate, after failing to qualify for ballot in the 2018 Republican primary.  

Charlottesville Tomorrow designed a questionnaire for the candidates based on responses we received from our voter survey. They provided answers below, listed in the order they were received.

Energy

In our survey, many 5th District voters voiced concerns over expanding data centers, rising power costs and transmission projects like Valley Link, citing the potential impact on land rights and regional resources. Others welcomed such projects, particularly data centers, for the new jobs they can bring to communities.

Although local and state officials decide where individual projects can be built, federal lawmakers hold power over how fast and far local development can expand by controlling the regional power grid. Federal leaders set the national rules and funding mechanisms that dictate how this multi-state grid operates. In your view, what, if anything, should the federal government do to manage rapid energy growth, and what would your priorities be in Congress?

Mark R. Warner: Artificial intelligence will reshape nearly every aspect of our economy and society. The only question is whether Congress is going to do something about it or try to play catch up. My comprehensive AI legislative framework addresses four key priorities: building AI infrastructure responsibly; promoting competition and safety; preparing workers for economic disruption and technological change; and strengthening America’s national security advantage. Data centers use enormous amounts of power* and water.** Virginians deserve to know the impact a new data center will have on their community, and companies shouldn’t be able to hide those details behind secret deals. I’ve introduced legislation to require greater transparency about energy and water use and other impacts, make data centers pay for the grid upgrades they require instead of passing those costs on to residents, and condition valuable tax benefits on meeting strong efficiency standards.***

Bert Mizusawa: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a disruptive frontier for technology and, as Americans, we should not cede the lead to any other nation, especially potential adversaries. Unlike technology breakthroughs of the past, such as electricity, nuclear power and the Internet, AI has the potential to reinvent itself — without human intervention — with potentially catastrophic outcomes.* While the federal level of government must focus on the technology itself, I will support the ability of local communities, who will bear the costs,** to veto having data centers that serve AI forced on them by Richmond or Washington, DC. Data centers can and should be located in remote areas. For energy, I support the rapid deployment of newer nuclear reactors to provide cheaper, cleaner, and safer electrical energy*** for both commercial and residential uses.

Housing

In our survey, 5th District voters expressed competing concerns over housing. While many families face rising rents and high home prices, others, particularly rural residents, worry that new housing developments are destroying farmland and overloading roads. County and city boards decide where new housing can be built, but federal decisions on things like road funding, housing grants and tax credits can heavily influence regional growth. Should the federal government step in to help address housing costs and regional growth in the 5th District? What specific approach would you support in Congress?

Warner: We need to bring down housing costs and make it more affordable to rent or buy a home. I am proud to have co-authored the bipartisan ROAD to Housing Act,* a landmark law with key provisions to boost the housing supply while lowering costs, protect veterans and renters, and prevent housing from being bought by corporate investors. 

I was also the lead author of the Low-Income First Time Homebuyers (LIFT) Act,** which would help qualified first-generation homebuyers build equity in their homes by offering a 20-year mortgage with monthly payments comparable to a traditional 30-year loan, and the Yes in God’s Backyard (YIGBY) Act,*** which would help faith-based organizations and institutions of higher education transform underused property into affordable housing. 

Mizusawa: I support the elimination of the capital gains tax on the sale of one’s home. Current tax law exempts $250,000 for singles and $500,000 for married couples, but those amounts were set in the 1990s and have not increased with inflation.* Eliminating the tax burden should increase the supply of houses on the market,** which would have multiple benefits: lower housing costs, accompanied by lower real property taxes and homeowners’ insurance. It would also lower commuting costs (gas and transportation) as people would be able to afford to live closer to work and other amenities. I would leave decisions on zoning, including multifamily homes and mixed-use communities, to local government.

Congressional authority

Many central Virginia voters told us they want representatives who put local needs ahead of political party platforms. Most members of Congress belong to political parties, but their constitutional duty is to serve as an independent check on the executive branch — that is, the president and his or her administration. U.S. Senators are elected to six-year terms, which means the winner of this contest will represent Virginia through more than one presidential administration.

What principles will guide how you conduct oversight of federal agencies and executive decisions, regardless of which party controls the White House?

Warner: Congress has a fundamental responsibility to serve as a check on executive and judicial power, regardless of which party controls the White House or Congress. That means conducting vigorous oversight, protecting Congress’ constitutional authorities, controlling the power of the purse, and standing up to any administration that exceeds its authority. Our system of checks and balances only works if Congress is willing to exercise its Constitutional powers.

I’ve always believed that you can disagree with someone on plenty of issues and still find common ground. I’ve worked across the aisle on issues including national security, technology, housing, infrastructure, and expanding access to capital for small businesses. I will work with anyone who is willing to tackle the issues that matter to Virginians. We need to focus on how to improve lives, lower costs, and expand access to affordable health care.

Mizusawa: First and foremost, I will serve the people as their elected representative. I have been a student of the Constitution, and served as an officer of all three branches of government. In fact, I am likely the only person in U.S. history who has served at “flag rank” in both the legislative and executive branches of government, including the military, while also serving as an attorney in the judicial branch as a member of the U.S. Supreme Court and Virginia bars.* Consequently, I am well versed in the separation of powers among the branches. Significantly, I was a Professional Staff Member in the U.S. Senate, where I exercised all three roles of the legislative branch: legislation, oversight and investigations. The two most effective Senate powers are appropriations and confirmations for both the executive and judicial branches.** I will employ the Senate’s constitutional powers to serve the interests of the people.

Healthcare

In our regional survey, voters cited the high cost and complexity of the U.S. healthcare system as a major burden. That strain is particularly acute in some rural communities that are losing essential medical care altogether. Lawmakers in Washington remain divided over how to manage programs like Medicare and Medicaid and support rural hospitals and clinics. What role should the federal government play in managing healthcare programs, and what is your plan for keeping care accessible in central and southside Virginia communities?

Warner: We need universal health care. Americans shouldn’t lose health coverage because they lose a job, and no Virginian should have to choose between groceries, rent, and medicine.

Rural hospitals were already operating on incredibly thin margins, and the massive Medicaid cuts from HR1 worsened the situation.* I fought against those cuts and offered amendments to protect Medicaid and rural health care, but Republicans blocked them.

I’m working to address some of the services most at risk. My Keeping Obstetrics Local Act** would increase Medicaid payment rates for labor and delivery services and ensure families don’t have to travel hours to have a baby.*** I also authored the Save Struggling Hospitals Act**** to ensure that rural hospitals are fairly reimbursed for their services by the federal government.

I’ll keep fighting to protect Medicaid, strengthen rural hospitals and make sure your ZIP code doesn’t determine whether you can get quality health care.

Mizusawa: It’s amazing to me that the Democrats on a totally partisan basis passed what they called the Affordable Care Act and the high cost of health care is still a major burden, as your question indicates. Government does not make things cost less or less complex. Just the opposite, government makes everything more expensive and complex. Senators like Mark Warner don’t engage with rural Virginia except once every six years. I will start day one defending all of Virginia and engage free market economics* to wean government out of controlling every facet of our lives.

Immigration

Voter survey responses reflected deep division over immigration. What specific action should Congress prioritize first when reforming federal immigration law?

Warner: We’re the one country where you can come here, play by the rules, embrace our democracy, and become an American.* That’s what makes our country so strong. But our immigration system has been broken for years. I fought for a bipartisan border deal that would have bolstered our national security, provided better technology to stop fentanyl, and implemented major reforms to our asylum system. Trump killed it at the 11th hour.**

A screwed-up border is not a license for the cruelty and chaos that has been unleashed by masked, undertrained agents engaging in illegal acts of violence, grabbing people heading to work and folks who showed up to their court hearing, shooting Americans dead in the street. None of this makes us safer. 

We need secure borders, a fair and consistent immigration process for people who have lived and contributed here for years, and law enforcement that follows the law. 

Mizusawa: America is a nation of laws, which means we must enforce them. I am the son and grandson of immigrants who are immensely grateful for the opportunities that America provided. Two Mizusawa uncles were wounded in World War II as soldiers in the famous Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team and another uncle was killed in the Korean War. My father and I continued the service and sacrifice for America. I am not an expert on our immigration laws, but know that immigration to America is a unique privilege that should not be abused. As a national security expert, I see that our previous failures to enforce immigration laws have resulted in threats we can no longer ignore and must fix. While immigration has added to the richness of America and will continue to do so, it must be legal and to the benefit, not the detriment, of U.S. citizens.

Are there any other pressing issues you would like central Virginia voters to know about?

Warner: I’ve always believed government works best when people are willing to roll up their sleeves, work across the aisle and actually solve problems.

Before politics, I was an entrepreneur. My first business failed in six weeks. My second failed in six months. Eventually I helped build a successful company in an industry — cellular phones — that was transforming the economy. That experience taught me not to be afraid of change, but also not to underestimate how disruptive technological change can be.

I’ve carried that approach into public service: be willing to try something new, work with people you don’t always agree with, and never forget that the goal is to give every American the same fair shot I had at success. 

Mizusawa: Mark Warner bragged about moving “heaven and earth” to expand data centers across Virginia.* Now he wants to put out the fire he started. Warner is running for his 4th term of failure after promising he wouldn’t be a career politician and promising to stop at two.** Virginia can’t trust Mark Warner.

Related links

• Campaign finance report for Mark Warner, from Virginia Public Access Project
• Bert Mizusawa’s 2018 run for Virginia Senate (The Washington Post, Feb. 13, 2018, subscription required)
• Bert Mizusawa becomes a senior advisor for the CIA (The Hill, Oct. 7, 2020) 
• Campaign finance report for Bert Mizusawa from the Virginia Public Access Project