Good afternoon from Long Island, where the Party Animals summer bureau is keeping tabs on the capital from afar over the next few days.

Last weekend at a dive bar I spotted an abandoned tub of Alp nicotine pouches—Tucker Carlson’s Zyn competitor. I was swiftly served an Alp ad on my X feed starring Conor McGregor. It turns out the disgraced MMA fighter is an ambassador for the brand, which just launched in several countries in Europe.

It’s a fitting partnership: Both Tucker and Conor are controversial reactionaries with an eye on running for political office. Conor threatened to run for president of his home country last year and, in a testament to the discerning judgment of the Irish people, failed. (One poll found support for his run at 7%.)

And now it’s Carlson, after his blowup with Donald Trump, who appears to be inching toward a run for political office. More on that below.

IN THIS EDITION OF PARTY ANIMALS: We’re in the dead heat of the midterm elections. This week, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed triumphed—albeit narrowly—over Haley Stevens in the US Senate race in Michigan.

To do so, he overcame the Democratic establishment (which overwhelmingly backed Stevens) and an enormous gusher of cash from interest groups including AIPAC—which, after blowing $32 million on the primary, looks set to go all-out for the general in a bid to beat El-Sayed. This week, I looked into how AIPAC’s spending may have so far backfired.

Also mentioned in this issue: Jake Tapper, JD Vance, Mike Davis, Max Miller, Jeanine Pirro, Harry Enten, Nancy Mace, Bart Hutchins, Steve Bannon, Annie Karni, Ari Emanuel, Eric Bolling, Adam Wren, Marc Thiessen, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Chuck Schumer, and more.

Got tips? Hit the Party Animals hotline: aidan_mclaughlin@condenast.com. Or text me—my number is 917-817-8266. Complaints will be stuffed in an upper lip. Praise will be broadcast in a multimillion-dollar AIPAC ad buy.

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