• The race for two seats on the U-M board of Regents has been marked by allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia 
  • Two incumbents and one newcomer are seeking the Michigan Democratic Party’s endorsement on Saturday
  • One union dropped its endorsement of the newcomer candidate, another union lobbied the governor to rescind her endorsement of one of the incumbents

Lingering tensions over the University of Michigan’s handling of pro-Palestinian campus protests have roiled the race for the Board of Regents, leading to accusations of smear campaigns, antisemitism and Islamophobia.

Governing board races are often low-profile, but this year’s contest has exploded for the seats held by Democratic Regents Jordan Acker and Paul Brown, whose first terms expire Jan. 1. Both are seeking endorsement from Democratic Party on Saturday, along with newcomer Amir Makled, a Dearborn  civil rights attorney who represented pro-Palestinian U-M students and alumni who faced charges filed in 2024 by Attorney General Dana Nessel that were later dropped.

The three-way race comes two years after protests over the Israel-Gaza conflict erupted on the U-M campus in Ann Arbor and widened divisions among Jewish and Muslim students. 

Acker, who is Jewish, was targeted by vandals who damaged his home, office and a vehicle. Makled, a Lebanese American, told the U-M student newspaper that he jumped into the race after he was detained at the airport and questioned by federal officials about his U-M pro-Palestinian student clients.

Last week, a report emerged alleging that Makled retweeted numerous posts last year that included ones that used the word “Jew” as a slur, supported Hezbollah, the Lebanese extremist group and referred to its late leader Hassan Nasrallah as a “martyr.” The retweets have since been deleted. 

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Then a fake text message and social media post purporting to be from Acker emerged Monday and stirred further outrage, but it was unclear who sent it.

It included a photo of Acker shaking the hand of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, alleging that Acker flew to Israel to meet the leader when U-M Palestinian students were protesting to “ask what he could do to silence the voices of the protesters to protect Israel.”

“Now more than ever, Israel needs money to purchase the bombs it has used to wipe out Gaza, Lebanon, and now Iran,” the post said.  “Jordan promises not to divest any money from Israel that comes from the University of Michigan.”

Acker posted a statement on X on Tuesday, calling the mass text a “dishonest attempt by the opposition to mislead delegates and damage my campaign.”

In an interview, Acker said he is focused on his campaign which includes the endorsements from the Michigan Education Association, Teamsters, carpenters’ union and several others.

“I am focused on what I have accomplished as a regent over the last eight years: strengthening unions, making Michigan more affordable and fighting back against the Trump administration and that’s what I am going to continue to do as a regent over the next eight years,” Acker said.

Reached via email on Monday, Makled wrote that  he is  “moving nonstop” on a campaign that he built “by meeting people where they are” across all counties in Michigan. He asked Bridge to submit questions in writing so his perspective could be included in this story. He did respond to questions about Acker, the fake post or other issues.

Lisa Brown, Oakland County clerk and register of deeds, issued a statement on Monday that said she is “disgusted, disappointed and outraged by the antisemitism that has seeped into the Michigan Democratic Party,” especially the text sent appearing to be Acker. 

“Will the Democratic Party let Jew-haters take over like the tea party and now MAGA radicals took over the Republican Party?,” Brown said. “I hope not. Hate has never been a Democratic value.”

Rima Mohammad, co-founder of the People’s Coalition, said that Makled did not send the text, nor did U-M pro-Palestinian students. 

She called  it a “double standard” that many have expressed outrage over the fake campaign post about Acker but few condemned a March 19 opinion piece published in the Jewish News Syndicate that claimed Makled was detained at the airport for “alleged terrorist ties.” 

Additionally, Mohammad said, “dark money” campaign literature began arriving in mailboxes that says Makled “isn’t right to lead” UM, saying that in his law practice he defended a child pornography ring and more.

Islamophobia – and antisemitism –  are equally harmful and dangerous, wrote Mohammad, who is a clinical professor in U-M’s Department of Clinical Pharmacy. 

“When one type of hate is condemned immediately and others are repeatedly ignored, it sends a damaging message that some communities are valued more than others,” wrote Mohammad, whose group is calling for an investigation into the incident.

Convention plan

Michigan is one of just three states where major party delegates choose nominees at conventions rather than in primary elections. That includes nominees for the State Board of Education and the governing boards of U-M, Michigan State University and Wayne State University.

The campaign for the U-M regents heated up a few weeks ago when Pro-Palestinian student groups put out a “call to action” on social media, encouraging students to register with the Democratic party and attend the nominating convention to “unseat Acker.” Anyone can vote at the convention if they register 30 days beforehand.

The post featured Acker’s face X-ed out in red, calling him “one of the most vocally zionist regents who has personally advocated for the repression of pro-Palestinian voices.”

It is unclear how many students will attend the nominating convention, where party officials estimate attendance by 6,000 and 8,000 members.  

There are two regents running who have the same record and stances on issues yet the student groups are focused on Acker, said Jessica “Decky” Alexander, chair of the Democratic party’s Jewish caucus.

“The primary thing we can deduce … is this is about him being Jewish,” said Alexander. “This is really about a person and their identity, which is maddening.”

The U-M student groups that featured the post did not respond to repeated requests for comment with the exception of the U-M graduate student union. Co-chair Kaitlin Karmen said the union opposed Acker’s stances on labor and only endorsed Makled.

Recent information that has emerged about the candidates changed the stance of SEIU Michigan, the union representing public and private sector workers statewide, 

In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, the union said it is rescinding its endorsement of Makled following “new information that was not available at the time of our endorsement.”

“We hold our endorsed candidates to a high standard and expect alignment with our values,” the post says.

Also on Tuesday, the U-M graduate student union sent Gov. Gretchen Whitmer a letter, urging her to rescind her endorsement of Acker. 

It said Acker had “failed to stand up to the Trump administration … is antagonistic to labor unions whose positions he disagrees with and uses his public platform to denigrate students and workers …(and) has undermined academic freedom and freedom of speech on campus.”

“We deserve a Regent who will champion workers’ demands, defend freedom of speech on campus, and actually listen to grad workers—not sue us, smear us, or scold us,” the letter says.

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