‘Martyrs’: Michigan Dems nominate Hezbollah-praising candidate after ousting Jewish regent

A University of Michigan Board of Regents member was ousted after Michigan Democrats selected a candidate who shared social media posts praising Hezbollah as the party's nominee.

Amir Makled, a trial lawyer, bested incumbent Regent Jordan Acker, who is Jewish, for the Democratic Party's nomination at the state party's convention over the weekend, sparking criticism from a former leader of the state's Democratic Party.

More than a week before Michigan's Democratic Convention, the Detroit News reported that Makled had shared and later deleted posts on X praising Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Abu Ali Khalil, who were both killed in Israeli airstrikes. In both posts Makled shared, Nasrallah and Khalil are dubbed "martyrs."

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The Democratic nominee also shared a now-deleted post from Candace Owens in which she called Israelis "demons" who "lie, steal, cheat, murder and blackmail."

Fox News Digital reached out to Makled for comment.

Brandon Dillon, the former head of Michigan's Democratic Party, penned an opinion piece in the Detroit News criticizing Makled's candidacy that was published just days before Makled won the party's nomination. Dillon said Makled is not a Democrat and that his social media behavior reflects "a pattern of extremism and bigotry."

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"These are not isolated missteps or comments taken out of context," Dillon wrote in the Detroit News. "They reflect a broader pattern of poor judgment that should raise serious concern."

In his acceptance speech for the party's nomination, Makled gave a nod to students involved in anti-Israel protests that formed on the University of Michigan's campus in the wake of the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel.

"To these students, the students who spoke up, the students who organized, the students who refused to let anyone tell them that their education wasn't worth fighting for, you all reminded us what a public university is supposed to be," Makled said.

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Makled, who legally represented University of Michigan students involved in anti-Israel campus protests, had previously called for the university system to divest from Israel.

The anti-Israel protests which formed at the University of Michigan led to reports of antisemitic attacks against Jewish students. The University of Michigan was one of 60 universities notified by the Department of Education that it was being investigated for violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for failing to properly address antisemitic harassment and discrimination.

In December 2024 — just months before the Education Department shared its notice with the University of Michigan — the car belonging to outgoing Regent Acker was vandalized. The words "Divest... Free Palestine" and an inverted triangle, a reference to Hamas, were spray-painted in red across Acker's vehicle.

At the time of the attack, Acker said it was the third time that year he'd been victimized by anti-Israel vandals.

Fox News Digital reached out to Acker for comment.