GOP county commissioners accuse a GOP state Senator of creating “unnecessary chaos,” new population data is released from the U.S. Census Bureau, plus a GOP congressman is encouraging people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. All of that and more are in this week’s Ups and Downs.

Every week PoliticsPA sends an exclusive extra Up or Down to Playbook subscribers. See who gets the extra up or down next week: sign up here.

Doug Mastriano. The Franklin County Republican and potential candidate for Governor is now receiving pushback from GOP county commissioners in his push for an “audit or forensic review” of the 2020 election results in Pennsylvania. The Associated Press reports that Tioga County commissioners accused Mastriano of “creating “unnecessary chaos” in pushing for a detailed review of how the county collected and counted votes in former President Donald Trump’s reelection defeat last year.”

Southeast PA. Philadelphia and its collar counties are slated to play an even larger role in Pennsylvania’s political scene for the upcoming decade. Reporting on the new population data released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday, The Associated Press writes that Philadelphia and its suburbs “drive Pennsylvania’s population growth.” Philadelphia and each of its collar counties increased their population over the previous 10 years, but the AP noted that the City of Brotherly Love’s population rose by 5%, while Montgomery and Chester County “grew even faster.” 

Reading. Pennsylvania has a new fourth most-populous city. The Reading Eagle reports that Reading has surpassed Erie as the fourth largest city in the state, according to the new population data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Reading now has a population of 95,112, which is nearly an 8% increase from 2010 and the highest the city’s population has been since the 1960 Census. 

Southwest PA. While the southeast rises, the southwest declines. Most counties in southwest Pennsylvania saw their population decline over the past 10 years, according to the new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, with two specific counties finding themselves on a national list. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jonathan Tamari noted on Twitter that Cambria County lost 7% of its population over the past 10 years, while Fayette County lost 6%, placing them both in the Top 10 fastest shrinking counties in the nation with over 100,000 residents. 

Cumberland County. The county located just west of Harrisburg had the largest population percentage growth of any county in the commonwealth, according to the latest data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Associated Press reports that Cumberland County’s population increased by more than 10% between 2010 and 2020 by adding 240,000 residents.  

Dr. Ala Stanford. The CEO and founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium has been selected by the Pennsylvania Society to be the recipient of the 2021 Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement, according to PennLive.  

John Joyce. While cases have been rising and conspiracy theories have been “swirling” about the COVID-19 vaccine, the Blair County Republican and physician has been making trips throughout his district in an effort to encourage people to get vaccinated. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Joyce, “a physician for more than 25 years who often leans on his medical bona fides in Washington, is entering the national fray on a local level,” and made his eighth stop at a pharmacy in the past few weeks in the push to “defend the power of science and demystify the vaccine.” Although the Post-Gazette reports that Republicans have been put in a “tricky spot with their base” over the coronavirus pandemic, Joyce said he “feels a duty to “put on the lab coat” to spread a positive message about health professionals.”

Todd Harper. According to a release from the White House Press Office, President Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate Todd Harper to serve as Chairman of the National Credit Union Administration. Harper served as a legislative director to former Congressman Paul Kanjorski.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Falco crossed a picket line that pit workers against a major industry.

Everyone deserves a union ???? https://t.co/rHb7Ow36Pt

— Senator John Kane (@SenatorJohnKane) August 11, 2021

Bonus Tweet: Philly>Phoenix.

https://t.co/fPXteLfrFZ pic.twitter.com/x0nwR22ZKQ

— Alain Xiong-Calmes (@Alain_Mower) August 13, 2021