No one thinks the race for U.S. Senate is a race at all.

Nonetheless, Cory Booker and Justin Murphy faced off Thursday night in a debate sponsored by the New Jersey Globe and Rider University. It was held on the Rider campus in Lawrence Township.

Not only does this year look to be a good one for Democrats, there's history.

Those who care about this stuff know that no Republican has won a Senate seat in New Jersey since 1972.

"It's been too long in my opinion." Murphy said in his opening statement.

That observation out of the way, it soon became apparent that Booker and Murphy are living in different worlds - sort of.

One early question was about the war in Iran.

Suppose the president called you for advice about Iran. What would you tell him?

Booker laughed at the notion of Donald Trump seeking his advice.

"He won't call me, because he's afraid of hearing the truth," Booker said.

And what is the truth - from Booker's point of view.

Briefly, he said the war is a colossal mistake, adding that there is no coherent strategy. Moreover, it has raised the price of gas to more than $4 a gallon.

What would Murphy say?

"Finish it. Finish that war in a positive manner."

The Republican from Burlington County said the war is necessary to stop the Iran regime from getting a nuclear weapon. His advice would be to do what's necessary to "kick ass" and win.

Booker responded quickly, condemning what he called a "cowboy' and a "yahoo" policy.

Switching gears, observers think Dems are in a good position this election season because of a poor economy.

Murphy disagrees.

He contended that things are actually pretty good, citing a robust stock market, job growth, and an increase in median income.

As for gas prices?

What's the big deal? Back in June, 2022, a gallon of gas was five bucks.

One question was purely political.

Booker was asked if he would support Chuck Schumer as party leader next year.

The senator punted, saying he was not going to make news on that issue at the debate

"One election at a time," he said.

Murphy joked that maybe he should be the Republican leader.

The current GOP leader is John Thune of South Dakota - a man Murphy said he doesn't know.

Murphy was also unaware of many of Trump's Cabinet picks. Asked if he would have voted against any of them, he acknowledged not knowing all that many.

Booker said that in Trump's second term, the president has chosen Cabinet members who are loyal to him, not the country.

Each candidate had supporters in the crowd. As is often the case, the audience applauded even though it was told not to.

Some did more than just applaud.

When Booker was answering a question about sanctuary cities, a woman in the audience began yelling at him. She was escorted from the auditorium. Both candidates laughed.

A Jersey moment to be sure.