Sarah Brand-Wiita
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sarahbw.bsky.social
Sarah Brand-Wiita
@sarahbw.bsky.social
3K followers 400 following 230 posts
Precinct Organization Chair and Assistant Treasurer, @mcdems.bsky.social. Politics in Montgomery County, Maryland and beyond. Opinions mine. Personal account: @sarahbrand.bsky.social
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sarahbw.bsky.social
Top half: Screenshot of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website. Below the HUD logo, a message on a red background reads, “The Radical Left are going to shut down the government and inflict massive pain on the American people unless they get their $1.5 trillion wish list of demands. The Trump administration wants to keep the government open for the American people.“ Bottom half: a goose meme in two panels. First panel: the goose says, “Which American people are you keeping the government open for?” Second panel: the goose is chasing a fleeing human labeled “HUD.” It repeats, “WHICH AMERICAN PEOPLE?”
September 30, 2025 at 6:35 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
TOMORROW, 5-7pm, Rockville Town Square by the Library. Come out and protest 100 days of Trump with Montgomery County Democrats! RSVP form and handy map here: mcdcc.org/RallyApril30
Protest for Democracy: A Rally Against 100 Days of Trump. Wednesday, April 30, 5-7pm at Rockville Town Square by the Library. Join the Montgomery County Democrats and participate in a statewide protest against the lawlessness, chaos, and cruelty of the Trump administration. Hear our elected officials, community leaders, and those affected share details about the administration's disastrous actions and what we must do to fight back. Sponsored by the Montgomery County Democratic Party.
April 29, 2025 at 6:04 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
Ferguson’s comments here don’t track. (Speaking for myself, etc.) The Maryland Values Act would ban localities from entering into 287(g) agreements with ICE, where the localities *voluntarily* say their police will act as ICE agents.

Gift link: wapo.st/424FcOk
Screenshot from the Washington Post. Text: Maryland lawmakers are considering several bills aimed at preventing such arrests, including barring localities from having cooperation agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But that effort has stalled, in part because of fear from Maryland officials that such a ban would stoke White House retaliation, Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) said Friday. "We have to recognize the very true reality that there are consequences that have been issued from the federal government about what happens with states that do not comply with certain immigration orders," Ferguson said.
April 5, 2025 at 8:27 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
“Hey hey, ho ho, Elon Musk has got to go!” #TeslaTakedown
Me and my husband at today’s #TeslaTakedown protest in Rockville, MD Protesters holding signs: “The Only Fraud Trump Found Was Elon” and “Trusting Elon Is Looney Tunes” Protester with sign: “End DOGE” with a NO symbol over Elon Musk’s face Protester with sign: a drawing of a Tesla with no tires on cinder blocks, captioned “Tesla Owners Show Tireless Devotion”
March 22, 2025 at 4:40 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
Right now, I’m attending the #TeslaTakedown protest in Rockville, MD! Lots of people turned out, and LOTS of cars are honking in support.
March 22, 2025 at 3:52 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
I had a great time yesterday with the District 15 Democratic Caucus, writing postcards to likely Democrats in WI for their Supreme Court election.

To fight back in Montgomery County, visit mcdcc.org/volunteer.
Me (second from right) and five other amazing volunteers holding up the postcards we were writing to support Judge Susan Crawford for WI Supreme Court. On the walls behind us, there is a large collage of photos of food, an I-270 sign, and a street sign that says “Welcome to Bethesda.”
March 22, 2025 at 3:35 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
The Trump administration is putting green transportation funding on the chopping block. One of the endangered grants is for Montgomery County: $24.8 million to build a new entrance to the North Bethesda metro station and make the nearby intersection safer for pedestrians.
Screenshot of DOT document describing RAISE grant planned for Montgomery County. Below the text description, there is a map of the planned improvements, with the portions to be funded by DOT in dark red. Here is the text: NORTH BETHESDA TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT Recipient: Montgomery County Location: Montgomery County, Maryland Project Type: Capital Urban or Rural: Urban RAISE Grant Funding: $24,800,000 Construction Start (estimate): December 2027 Area of Persistent Poverty or Historically Disadvantaged Community Designation No (Estimated construction start date provided by Recipient) Project Description: This project will create a new entrance to the North Bethesda Metro Station. The project will also include intersection improvements at Rockville Pike (MD-355) and Old Georgetown Road, and a new a transit plaza at the southwest corner to connect the station to two future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines. Project Benefits: The project will enhance pedestrian safety and improve system-wide connectivity by reconfiguring the intersection to address safety concerns and facilitate easier access between neighborhoods and the transit center. This reconfiguration supports the County's Vision Zero 2030 Action Plan to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on roads by 2030 and is expected to reduce crash rates. Additionally, the project will improve access to rail and bus services, reduce vehicle dependence, and transform the pedestrian experience around the station, while also providing better access to future BRT services.
March 12, 2025 at 3:58 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
Assistant Treasurer of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee, reporting for duty!
Photograph of me at tonight’s MCDCC meeting with my new badge reading “Sarah Brand-Wiita, Asst. Treasurer, Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee.” The badge also has the Maryland state seal in the top left corner. I am wearing my brown hair pulled back in a bun, drop earrings, a dark gray dress with a cowl neck, and a jacket with narrow brown and white stripes.
February 25, 2025 at 11:42 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
Satirical motivational poster with the text "Never underestimate the motivational power of spite." The background image is of a blond man backpacking down a roped-off, muddy path with wild grasses growing on either side. A distant cliff looms out over the water. In the pale sky, the white cirrus clouds have silver linings. I made this in Canva.
February 1, 2025 at 7:52 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
Good morning. I’m writing this from Stonehenge. For the next four years and forever, let the work of our hands be beautiful, just, and true. Remember that despite their best efforts, the work will go on. Know that some of what we do now will endure. Let’s make it good.
Photograph of Stonehenge near Salisbury, England. Some pairs of standing stones have a horizontal stone placed atop them. Others are standing alone or have fallen. Stonehenge was built over 4,000 years ago, before the invention of the wheel. No one is sure what its purpose was; it could have been motivated by religion, astronomical phenomena, or honoring the dead. The construction would have been a massive communal effort of artists, engineers, priests, and workers. They hoped to reach toward the heavens. I think they managed it.
January 20, 2025 at 2:15 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
🍬 Bowl of candy
🏴‍☠️ Pirate costume
🗳️ Important information for voters in my neighborhood

Happy Halloween!
Selfie of me in my pirate costume (blue and white striped scarf wrapped around my head, oversized white shirt, long gray vest, eyepatch) and holding a bowl of candy (Skittles and peanut M&Ms). A handmade sign on my front porch (sitting in an old blue folding chair) with information about the election on Tuesday. I covered up the name of the polling place… safety first! The poster says: Happy Halloween! Don’t forget to vote! Nov 5, 7am-8pm, (redacted) High School. HARRIS, Alsobrooks, Delaney. FOR Question 1! AGAINST Question A!
October 31, 2024 at 10:56 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
I nearly froze my toes off handing out Democratic Party sample ballots at the polls in Damascus yesterday, but meeting this very real Maryland voter made it all worthwhile. (You can tell they are a real voter because of the “I Voted” sticker.)
Photo of me, dressed in layers with my Central Committee badge and for some reason a pearl necklace, leaning into the bony embrace of a monster statue. The monster has fiery cracks running across their skull and hands stained red and black. An “I Voted” sticker is affixed to their ragged shirt because this monster has a strong sense of civic responsibility.
October 27, 2024 at 10:51 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
Voting in Maryland and wondering which school board candidates are right-wing extremist weirdos? The Maryland Democratic Party has you covered.

Original flyer: mddems.org/news/vote-ag...
More info: mddems.org/news/marylan...
Vote against these candidates Keep extremist agendas out of our schools Anne Arundel County: Chuck Yocum (District 3), Latoya Nikongolo (District 5), Dawn Pulliam (District 7) Allegany County: Crystal Bender, Tammy Fraley Carroll County: Greg Malveaux, Kristen E. Zihmer Calvert County: Joseph Marchio (District 1), Paul Harrison (District 2), Melissa Goshorn (District 3) Cecil County: Dita Watson, Sam J. Davis Frederick County: Colt Morningstar Black, Jaime Kiersten Brennan Howard County: Andrew Gao (District 1), Trent Kittleman (District 5), Julie Kaplan (District 4) Montgomery County: Brenda Diaz (District 2) St. Mary's County: Elena Brewer (District 2) Talbot County: Ann O'Connor (District 2), Karla Wieland-Cherry (District 5), Kerry Gunshenan (District 6) Washington County: Charles Burkett, Victory Beachley, Ashley McCusker, April Zentmeyer Find out who is on your ballot at vote411.org Say no to: rewriting history, discriminating against your kids, book bans
October 15, 2024 at 1:57 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
Finally, here's a shareable graphic from the MDP contrasting Alsobrooks and Hogan on reproductive freedom.
Alsobrooks: Will co-sponsor legislation to codify the right to an abortion; will oppose any judicial nominee who does not support abortion rights; would eliminate the filibuster to restore abortion rights; stands against any efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. Hogan: vetoed a bill to expand abortion access; praised Trump's "incredible" Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade; won't commit to supporting judges who will uphold abortion rights; refused to back federal protections for IVF.
October 11, 2024 at 12:13 AM
sarahbw.bsky.social
Alsobrooks vs. Hogan on gun control:
Alsobrooks: Ban military-style weapons like AR-15s and bump stocks. Red-flag laws and universal background checks to keep guns out of the wrong hands. Pushed to ban assault weapons in Maryland. Established units to decrease gun violence and illegal weapons. Hogan: Vetoed bill to expand background checks and opposed bill to ban ghost guns. Opposed and condemned Maryland's assault weapons ban. Previously endorsed by the NRA. Wants to make it easier for people to own guns.
October 10, 2024 at 11:42 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
Alsobrooks supports Supreme Court reform, including expanding the Court (YES) and implementing term limits.

Hogan called Trump's justices "incredible" AFTER they overturned Roe.
Larry Hogan at a microphone and five of the Republican SCOTUS judges. Text: Hogan praised Donald Trump's "incredible justices" to the Supreme Court. Semafor 8-16-24.
October 10, 2024 at 11:28 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
Hogan's repeating the talking point that he'll be "independent" and a "maverick" and "stand up to both parties." He also says, and this is a direct quote, "I stood up to Donald Trump more than anyone in America."

Meanwhile, in the real world:
Picture of Larry Hogan at a microphone and Donald Trump leaning slightly forward in mid-blather. Text: TRUMP ENDORSES HOGAN. "I would like to see him win, and we got take the majority." [sic] AP News 6-13-24
October 10, 2024 at 11:22 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
I also joined a slate of other progressive MCDCC candidates. Six out of seven were successful! My then fiancé (now husband) managed my campaign, and our cat reminded me to take naps.
Box containing flyers for the slate I joined! The header is a picture of the candidates. Beneath that is the header (Elect Progressives: Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee At-Large) followed by the dates of the election, our platform, and our website. View from above of the seat of our armchair, taken up by more flyers (for both my slate and state Delegate Gabriel Acevero, another candidate I was knocking doors for) and my sleeping cat.
September 16, 2024 at 4:34 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
As a first-time candidate, I had no name recognition, so my friends and I knocked on 7,000 doors. I received over 67,000 votes, more than anyone else on the MCDCC. (Okay, it also didn’t hurt that the ballot listed candidates alphabetically.) Here’s the very cool certificate I got after my election!
The sweet certificate I got after my election! It is framed on my wall with a gold seal on the bottom left. Text: The State of Maryland To Sarah Brand of Silver Spring, Maryland Greeting: Be it Known, That the Democratic voters of Montgomery County, reposing great trust and confidence in your integrity and wisdom, did on the 19th day of July, Two Thousand Twenty Two elect you as a Member of the Democratic Central Committee At Large. You are, therefore, to execute the said office justly, honestly, diligently amd faithfully, according to law, and hold the same for the term of four years or until you shall be duly discharged therefrom. Given under my hand and the Great Seal of Maryland (Signature) Lawrence J. Hogan, Jr. Governor of the State of Maryland At the City of Annapolis On the 15th day of August in the year of our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Two Attest: (signature, not the most legible) Secretary of State
September 16, 2024 at 4:25 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
Happy #Maryland Election Day!
Screenshot of a post on Threads by @introvertcats on April 12, 2024. The image is of an orange cat sitting inside a blue box stood on one end, facing the inside of the box with his fluffy tail fanning out over the floor. Caption: "My son is voting for the first time i'm so proud"
May 14, 2024 at 6:04 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
#Maryland voters, you can cast a ballot at any early voting center in your county through May 9. Find your closest EV center, Election Day polling place, and more: voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/VoterSearch

Map of EV centers in Montgomery County (data from @openstreetmap.bsky.social):
Map of 14 early voting centers in Montgomery County, Maryland. I created this map in QGIS using data from OpenStreetMap.
May 2, 2024 at 9:08 PM
sarahbw.bsky.social
Early voting for the #Maryland primary starts TODAY! Come out May 2-9 or on Election Day (Tuesday, May 14) to make your voice heard.

Problems with voting? Contact the Maryland Democratic Party's voter protection hotline by calling 833-638-6837 or emailing voterprotection@mddems.org.
Graphic with dark blue text on yellow-orange background: Early Voting Starts Today May 2-May 9, 7am-8pm MD DEMS iwillvote.com Graphic with dark blue text on a light blue background: MD DEMS Voter Protection Info 833-MD-VOTES (833-638-6837) voterprotection@mddems.org Paid for by the Maryland Democratic Party, www.mddems.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. By authority of Devang Shah, Treasurer.
May 2, 2024 at 8:54 PM