At their state endorsement convention on Sunday night, Michigan Democrats enthusiastically nominated progressive civil rights attorney Amir Makled, a man who has praised both Hezbollah and Iran’s theocratic regime, to replace University of Michigan regent Jordan Acker, a Jewish man whose home and office have been targets of antisemitic terror attacks.
The Detroit News reported that ahead of the vote, Makled deleted several social media posts in which he lauded Hezbollah leaders. In one post, which the outlet was able to access through archives, Makled refers to the designated terrorist group’s former leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by Israeli airstrikes in September 2024, as a “martyr.”
The Lebanese American is known for representing students involved in pro-Palestinian campus protests.
According to the Michigan Daily:
The race between Acker and Makled has mirrored national divides between moderate and progressive Democrats. Acker is seen by many progressive activists as representative of the Board’s current policies, such as ending the University’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs; cutting gender-affirming health care for patients under the age of 19; and prosecuting pro-Palestine student protesters. The victory of Makled — who provided legal representation for protesters and has been critical of the current Board — was perceived by many convention attendees as a major progressive upset.
The outlet spoke to one of Makled’s exuberant student volunteers, who said, “I want a regent who is going to put students over everything. I want a regent who is going to defend students when they want to express their First Amendment rights. I want a regent who is going to treat students with the dignity and the respect they deserve. I want a regent who is willing to divest our endowment from a genocide.” [Emphasis added.]
He gave the game away.
In the clip below, convention attendees erupt in cheers as Makled’s nomination was announced, an indication of the extent of the Democratic Party’s slide into antisemitism. Makled’s victory raises serious concerns about the party’s priorities and direction.
Following the late-night vote, Jesse Arm, the vice president of external affairs at The Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, issued a stark warning to Michigan Democrats:
Let this be a wake-up call for self-respecting Jewish Democrats, especially those from my home state of Michigan, and any other Democrats who would prefer their party not descend into the depths of full-blown Islamoleftism: you are losing your fight.Tonight at the Michigan Democratic Party convention, Jordan Acker—the incumbent Jewish University of Michigan Democratic Regent whose house and car were repeatedly vandalized with antisemitic graffiti by fanatical-left Palestine obsessives—was denied the party’s re-endorsement and lost his seat.Instead, they chose Dearborn attorney Amir Makled, who recently praised Hezbollah and the Iranian terror regime.The Corbynization of America’s Democratic Party is near complete.
Former Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican, weighed in on Makled’s victory to remind voters that he has “praised Hezbollah and thinks Jews are ‘demons’ who shouldn’t be allowed to serve in Congress.”
Makled’s rise is part of the Democratic Party’s growing embrace of antisemitism, a trend that has become especially pronounced in Michigan and Minnesota.
Over the weekend, Stacey covered the growing popularity of Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary. The former Wayne County health director is running for the open seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who is retiring at the end of this term. It appears that the more incendiary El-Sayed’s rhetoric becomes, the more he rises in the polls.
Leaked audio surfaced last month of the candidate’s reaction to the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in which he tells supporters, “I also want to remind you guys that there are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad today. So like, I just don’t want to comment on Khamenei at all.”
In recent weeks, El-Sayed campaigned with the far-Left, ultra-controversial streamer and influencer Hasan Piker, who is known “for his unapologetic, self-proclaimed socialist and Marxist viewpoints.”
He raised eyebrows again by making crude jokes about Second Lady Usha Vance and a preposterous remark about Vice President J.D. Vance’s children: “JD Vance has brown kids who he thinks are less American than everyone else. That’s wild to look at your own kids and be like, ‘You don’t actually belong as much in this country that I brought you into.'”
In the fall, I reported that Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud called a resident an “Islamophobe” who did “not belong in this city.” The resident had objected to naming a major city street after pro-jihadist Osama Siblani, “an Arab-American newspaper publisher who has advocated for Israel’s destruction, praised terror groups like Hamas, and claimed the American government is ‘bought by the Zionist lobby.'”
Makled’s nomination is more than a single upset; it is a signal. At a moment of deep division, the choice to elevate a candidate who has expressed admiration for terrorist groups over an incumbent who has faced multiple antisemitic attacks tells us something about the priorities of the Democratic Party. Whether party leaders acknowledge it or not, decisions like this reshape perceptions and leave even longtime supporters questioning not just the direction of the party, but what it is willing to tolerate in pursuit of it.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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