People’s Book, an independent bookstore located in Takoma Park, has made headlines following a significant donation of $7,000 to CASA, an immigrant rights nonprofit based in Rockville.
The funds were raised through the purchase of 500 copies of a book by U.S. Senator Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), titled ‘Who Believed in You: How Purposeful Mentorship Changes the World,’ co-written with his wife, Dina Powell McCormick.
In a press release issued on Friday, the bookstore’s co-owner, Matt Bormet, explained that the decision to donate the proceeds was rooted in their objections to McCormick’s political stances, particularly regarding immigration and LGBTQ+ rights.
Bormet stated that while the store typically does not engage in business with individuals they view as harmful to societal values, they chose to fulfill the lobbyists’ request to purchase the books.
However, in a bid to uphold their own principles, they redirected the profits to efforts that align with their values.
“Senator McCormick’s lobbyists asked us to buy 500 copies of his recently published book. While we don’t want to be in business with someone who is partially responsible for the current crisis, we also don’t support banning books. So we filled the request. But in order to live our values, we’re taking his money and giving it to folks who can do some good with it,” Bormet said.
CASA recently received attention nationally due to a U.S. Supreme Court case that the organization brought against President Donald Trump regarding his executive order on immigrants and deportations.
The nonprofit was also involved in the rescue of Kilmar Abrego Garcia of Beltsville, who was mistakenly deported to a Venezuelan maximum-security prison in March.
Ninfa Amador, CASA’s Policy Manager, expressed gratitude to the owners of People’s Book in the press release.
“Trump and his cronies like McCormick have been relentless in attacking working people, abducting our neighbors, and holding them in concentration camps, both in this country and others,” Amador remarked.
“These fascist power grabs are meant to break us, and our spirit, but from Takoma Park and beyond we will band together to confront these bullies and protect our freedoms, our families, and our futures.”
In a separate political development, Sharif Hidayat of Laytonsville has declared his candidacy for the District 7 seat on the Montgomery County Council, challenging incumbent Dawn Luedtke in the Democratic primary scheduled for June 2026.
The District 7 area includes communities such as Ashton, Brookeville, Damascus, Derwood, Laytonsville, Montgomery Village, Olney, Redland, and Sandy Spring.
Luedtke is currently completing her first four-year term on the council.
Hidayat, a former Montgomery County police officer, previously ran for the same council seat in the 2022 Democratic primary, where he finished fifth with 8% of the vote.
He also attempted a run for an at-large seat on the county Board of Education in the most recent primary, where he finished fourth with 9%, failing to advance to the general election ballot.
“District 7 residents deserve a leader who isn’t going to promote Mickey Mouse legislation like banning gas-powered leaf blowers. District 7 residents deserve a leader who recognizes that up-county residents aren’t getting an equitable voice at the table when it comes to budget decisions,” Hidayat wrote in an email to Bethesda Today on Sunday.
While Luedtke has not officially filed her candidacy paperwork with the state elections board, she maintains an active campaign finance committee and website indicating her intent to seek reelection.
In another political announcement, State Delegate Teresa Woorman (D-Dist. 16) has officially launched her campaign for a full, four-year term in the Maryland General Assembly.
Woorman, who represents the Bethesda area, commenced her campaign at a recent event in Chevy Chase on Tuesday.
She was nominated by the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee (MCDCC) in July 2024 to fill the seat vacated by Senator Sara Love (D-Dist. 16) and to serve the remainder of Love’s unexpired term until January 2027.
“I’m not running for office because I dreamed of holding a title,” Woorman stated.
“I’m running because I know what it’s like to struggle and to work for every inch. And I know what it means when someone takes a chance on you, when the system works for you instead of against you.”
Sara Love had been appointed to the state Senate in June 2024 by the MCDCC after Ariana Kelly vacated her position to become executive director of the Maryland Commission for Women.
Love was first elected as a District 16 delegate in 2018 and subsequently reelected in 2022.
Earlier this year, Love announced her campaign for a second Senate term alongside Delegate Marc Korman (D-Dist. 16), who is also seeking a fourth four-year term in the House of Delegates.
Completing the delegation is Delegate Sarah Wolek (D-Dist. 16), who was appointed by the MCDCC in March 2023 to replace Kelly.
Wolek is expected to serve the balance of Kelly’s term, which concludes in November 2026, but she has not yet declared her intention to seek a second term.
Meanwhile, Tazeen Ahmad, a former president of the Montgomery County Women’s Democratic Club, has announced her candidacy for a delegate seat in the District 16 delegation.
Ahmad, 61, currently holds the position of chief financial officer at Capitol Hill Consulting Group, a firm specializing in government relations in Washington, D.C.
She served as president of the Montgomery County Women’s Democratic Club for two years, from 2023 to 2025 and was appointed by Moore to the Maryland Commission for Women last November.
image source from：bethesdamagazine
