FLORHAM PARK - All politics is local, and nothing symbolizes that like 435 congressional races across the land.

There's still a lot of truth to Tip O'Neil's famous observation, but not all the time - not this year.

A Monday night CD-11 debate at St. Elizabeth University between Rep. Analilia Mejia and Republican Joe Hathaway proved that.

The sparring and jousting had an unmistakable national flavor.

Hathaway's opening statement linked the liberal Mejia with the Democratic Socialists of America, and then some. He said some of her statements sound like they came from the Communist Manifesto.

Mejia shot back that if elected, Hathaway would just be a rubber stamp for the czar, or rather Donald Trump.

There you have it.

Socialism and an errant boy for Trump. In different ways, or perhaps in the same way, these interactions are happening all over the country.

Each candidate tried to counter the broad-base criticism coming their way.

Hathaway stressed the times he has disagreed with Trump - like when the president tried to stop the Gateway Tunnel.

Mejia said she is not a socialist or a radical, but "a middle class mom."

Amid the charges flying around, there was some substantive debate. Like on healthcare.

Mejia sees healthcare as a human right and backs a single-payer system, a plan often called Medicare for All.

Hathaway agreed healthcare costs need to come down, but said the costs of Medicare for All would be exorbitant. And he said that can lead to "rationing care."

Mejia brushed that aside and said one answer is to make corporations pay more in taxes.

"This is about humanity, my friend," she said.

There was also a sharp disagreement about Israel and related topics.

A Hathaway staple is that Mejia is anti-Semitic, a significant issue in a district that, Hathaway said, has about 90,000 Jews.

Mejia strongly denies that, saying she has worked with her "Jewish brothers and sisters" throughout her career.

She has called Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal, but draws a distinction between the Israeli government and Jews living in the United States.

Hathaway was unconvinced. He noted that Mejia voted against a bill that, broadly speaking, would protect Jewish college students from threats related to anti-Israeli activity. A co-sponsor was New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer.

Mejia did not address that point in the debate, but afterwards said it's important to respect the First Amendment rights of all people to speak out.

In a conversation on immigration, Hathaway said Mejia does not support deporting people here illegally who are accused of murder.

She did not directly respond, other than to say Hathaway does not understand her views on immigration.

The debate, which was sponsored by the League of Women Voters, drew a large - and often spirited - crowd of a few hundred.

As always, the audience was asked to keep quiet. But, as always, it did not.

Right off the bat, a translator for the debate, which was streamed online, said a few words in Spanish.

"Speak English," someone yelled from the cheap seats. The crowd groaned. After all this was a translator.

The most notable interruption during the debate had to do with Michigan. That's right.

Hathaway sought to buttress his argument that Mejia was a radical by noting her support for Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for the Senate in Michigan. Hathaway said he has ties to terrorism.

That prompted loud jeers and boos from the Mejia contingent in the crowd.

Hathaway joked that his quip must have hit home.

Some may recall that this is the second go-around between the two. Mejia won a special election in April, beating Hathaway by about 20 points. This is for the seat vacated by Mikie Sherrill when she became governor. The mostly suburban and affluent district covers parts of Essex, Passaic and Morris counties.