Key keywords: Elissa Slotkin, Amir Makled, University of Michigan Board of Regents, Democratic Party nominee, 2024 Michigan elections, antisemitism allegations, Michigan campus politics, higher education governance U.S. Representative and 2024 U.S. Senate candidate Elissa Slotkin, a Jewish Democratic official representing Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, issued a formal public statement this week denouncing Amir Makled, the Michigan Democratic Party’s nominee for a seat on the University of Michigan (UM) Board of Regents, over resurfaced social media posts that have been widely criticized as antisemitic. The University of Michigan Board of Regents is an elected 8-member body that governs the state’s flagship public university, overseeing its $10 billion annual budget, student safety policies, faculty hiring, and campus programming for more than 50,000 students across three campuses. Regents serve 8-year terms, and nominees are selected by state party leadership ahead of the November general election. Controversy around Makled erupted earlier this month when local Jewish advocacy groups unearthed 2021 and 2023 social media posts from Makled that compared Israeli military operations in Gaza to the Holocaust, labeled all Zionist students on UM’s campus as “supporters of genocide,” and shared content that promoted fringe conspiracy theories about Jewish lobbying groups controlling U.S. foreign policy. The posts sparked immediate outcry from UM’s Jewish student population, which numbers more than 6,000, and local faith leaders who noted the remarks came amid a 70% rise in antisemitic incidents on the UM campus over the past 12 months. In her statement, Slotkin emphasized that her condemnation was rooted in both her identity as a Jewish American and her commitment to protecting marginalized students on campus. “The University of Michigan is one of Michigan’s most beloved public institutions, and its leaders must be committed to fostering belonging for every student, no matter their faith, ethnicity, or political beliefs,” Slotkin said. “Amir Makled’s remarks cross the line between legitimate criticism of Israeli government policy and dangerous antisemitic tropes that put Jewish students at risk. He is unfit to serve on the Board of Regents, and I call on him to withdraw his candidacy immediately.” As of press time, Makled has refused to drop out of the race, claiming his remarks were taken out of context and that he is being targeted for his support of Palestinian human rights. The Michigan Democratic Party has not yet announced whether it will revoke its endorsement of Makled, though the rift between moderate and progressive factions of the party over the controversy has widened, with multiple state legislators joining Slotkin’s call for Makled to exit the race, while left-wing party officials have defended his nomination as a win for underrepresented Arab American voices in state politics.