Two Incumbents and a Challenger Square Off in Contested Board of Regents Race

The University of Michigan Board of Regents race has turned into a heated political battle as candidates face serious allegations from both sides just days before Michigan Democrats select their nominees.

Three candidates are competing for the two Democratic slots on the ballot: incumbent regents Paul Brown and Jordan Acker, plus newcomer Amir Makled, a Dearborn civil rights attorney.

The race has unfolded amid accusations of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and personal misconduct allegations that have rocked the Democratic party.

Acker Faces Sexual Allegations

Acker recently became the subject of criticism when The Guardian reported on sexually demeaning messages he sent to a Slack channel of about 30 colleagues.

One string of messages discussed an unnamed Democratic strategist who Acker described as an absolute freak in bed. Another screenshot showed Acker speculating about the sex life of an undergraduate student at the University.

Acker sent the messages unprompted according to The Guardian.

Acker's lawyer told The Guardian that the regent had never used Slack and cast doubt on the authenticity of the screenshots, but did not explicitly deny the allegations.

Your understanding that Mr Acker does not deny this is not correct or incorrect, Acker's lawyer wrote to The Guardian.

The Guardian received confirmation from six members of the Slack channel that Acker did send the messages and was able to connect Acker's Slack account to his personal Gmail account.

Acker has received endorsements from many prominent Democratic figures in Michigan including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow.

McMorrow told The Guardian that if the messages are real, they are disgusting but did not say whether the messages affected her endorsement of Acker.

Makled Faces Scrutiny Over Deleted Posts

Makled has also received scrutiny beginning with a report from The Detroit News last week that he reposted and later deleted posts on X praising leaders of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Makled reposted a user describing Hassan Nasrallah, a former Hezbollah leader killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2024, as a martyr. He also reposted a tweet by conservative influencer Candace Owens describing Israelis as demons that lie, steal, cheat, murder and blackmail.

Makled also received a more serious allegation that came in the form of a text to an unknown number of recipients from the non-profit Michigan Deserves Better claiming that he was involved in two domestic violence cases.

The text alleges Makled's ex-wife called the police in 2020 after Makled grabbed her phone in anger when he noticed she missed a call from a guy friend. The text also claims that Makled attacked his nephew in 2022, sending him to the hospital.

In a statement provided to The Michigan Daily, Makled denied all allegations of domestic violence and said he does not support terrorism or antisemitism.

I am a civil rights attorney, Makled wrote. I have never been charged, arrested, or convicted of any crime. The domestic violence allegations are false. In addition I have never supported terrorism, and I reject those accusations entirely. Neither my ex-wife nor anyone in my family has ever been a victim of domestic violence, and she has said so publicly. I have been critical of the policies of the State of Israel. That is not antisemitism. I oppose antisemitism and Islamophobia, full stop.

The Daily was unable to confirm or disprove either of the alleged incidents. Michigan Deserves Better has been described as a dark money group and has received criticism for using Islamophobic rhetoric.

The Fake Post Controversy

Last week a fake text message and social media post purporting to be from Acker emerged 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.

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.

Union Endorsements Shift

The U-M graduate student union sent Gov. Gretchen Whitmer a letter urging her to rescind her endorsement of Acker.

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.

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.

Union Rescinds Makled Endorsement

Recent information that 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.

Convention Attendance Unclear

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

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 convention takes place this Sunday with the Michigan Democratic Party selecting which candidates to endorse.