Analilia Mejia says all candidates regardless of party should reject financial support from AIPAC.

"They have shown us what they are willing to do," the newly-minted Democratic candidate in CD-11, said at a celebratory event Tuesday.

The reference was to a million dollar - and false - campaign AIPAC orchestrated against Tom Malinowski, the second-place finisher. AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, accused Malinowski of supporting ongoing ICE activities nationwide when he clearly did not.

But that campaign helped Mejia, right?

Asked about that Tuesday, she didn't buy it.

"Here's what I was a beneficiary of - we knocked on 100,000 doors."

Some of her many door-knocking volunteers joined her on stage, including representatives from unions CWA and SEIU.

Mejia added that if AIPAC spending truly was effective, the candidate it supported would have won.

Actually, AIPAC did not support a candidate in the primary, but the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC backed Tahesha Way, the former lieutenant governor. Way finished third.

More broadly, Mejia decried "dark money" spending in elections. This is a common refrain from candidates from both parties, but unless the Citizens United Supreme Court decision is overturned, things won't change.

The special election is April 16, so it will be interesting to see how much outside money surfaces. Perhaps not much, given the fact the election cycle begins anew with the June primary.

Getting back to AIPAC spending, it came about because it deemed Malinowski not supportive enough of Israel. Fine, so why not say that?

The problem was the falsehood about him supporting ICE. That was what attracted attention and made things look sleazy.

* * *

"The president should not be using Gateway as a pawn."

By the standards of the day, that's pretty mild criticism of Donald Trump's termination of the project.

Not when you consider the speaker.

It's Joe Hathaway, the Republican candidate in CD-11 (pictured, top). He made that proclamation in a video on his social media page. Here's a bit more of what he said:

"Gateway isn’t optional - it’s essential. The Gateway Tunnel is the most important infrastructure project in the Northeast. Washington needs to stop playing politics with NJ-11.

When I’m in Congress, I’ll fight to get Gateway finished on time, fully funded, with no excuses, because New Jersey will not be an afterthought anymore."

He also noted that both Trump and Chuck Schumer, another key player in this saga, are New Yorkers and that he would fight to make sure New Jersey does not get the short end of the stick.

This is interesting because so many Republicans these days are deathly afraid of saying anything the least bit critical of the president.

Recall that Jack Ciattarelli said the tunnel termination was just "hardball" politics.

More recently, Tom Kean Jr. sent out a statement supporting the project that did not mention Trump. The president is only the guy stopping it.

There is also a political calculus here.

CD -11 has about 60,000 more Dems than Republicans. So to win, you need to bring in unaffiliated voters and some Democrats.

Genuflecting before the president ain't the way to do that.

As for true MAGA Republicans? Well, they aren't going to vote for Mejia.

* * *

Speaking again of Mejia, the broad outlines of the GOP's campaign began taking shape the day she officially became the candidate.

Here it is: She is a socialist who threatens the very fabric of what the district and America is about.

Laura Ali, the Morris County Republican chair, put it this way:

"This is our chance to say no to socialism and fight for the values that make Morris County the best place to live, work and flourish."

The race, quite suddenly, is also drawing national attention.

Tom Emmer of Minnesita, the House Republican Whip, had this to say in a message to voters:

"Joe (Hathaway) is expected to face off against extreme progressive Democrat Analilia Mejia in the special House election for New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District this April.

And for lack of better words, Mejia is a political replica of far-Left Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

She even has AOC’s endorsement, among others that might make your skin crawl."

Expect to see and hear more of this, but you kind of get the drift.

Better watch your skin.