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In today’s column, a look at the political reverberations of a friendship that began three decades ago in a sophomore philosophy class, and now hovers over one of this year’s big U.S. Senate races. And check out the latest episode of The Powers That Be, Puck’s new daily podcast, for my conversation with Tara Palmeri about Biden’s evolving relationship with Silicon Valley, Kamala’s fundraising challenges, and who really has the juice in Wilmington West.

P.S. As a reminder, you’re receiving the free version of The Stratosphere at . For full access to Puck, and to each of my colleagues, you can subscribe here.

Three decades later, the two billionaires are still fighting over politics—just now by proxy.Today, both former PayPal executives, who remain close friends, are on opposite sides of one of America’s most closely-watched Senate races in Ohio, one of several states that could determine control of Congress next year. Thiel, of course, has pumped $15 million into groups backing J.D. Vance, the Hillbilly Elegy author and Thiel mentee who has become a Fox News favorite. Hoffman, meanwhile, is less interested in Democratic nominee Tim Ryan than in gleaning voter insights from Ohio itself, which his team hopes to deploy in other Rust Belt states in 2024. “This has been a hobbyhorse of theirs,” said one person familiar with their strategy. “They are obsessed with Ohio, and they want to fund and experiment in the state.”...