Pennsylvania certifies the 2020 election results to confirm Biden’s victory in the state, a Centre County Republican will lead the GOP Ag committee, plus a political power couple ties the knot. All of that and more are in this week’s Ups and Downs.

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GOP Lawsuits. Pennsylvania certified the results of the presidential election on Nov. 24, officially confirming Joe Biden’s victory in the commonwealth. Despite the election certification, the effort from the Trump campaign and various GOP officials in the state continue in an attempt to change the outcome of the election. The Trump campaign and various Pennsylvania Republicans (including Rep. Mike Kelly and Sean Parnell) have taken the fight to the courts and well… it’s a losing fight. Several courts have denied their effort to change the outcome, with the most recent unsuccessful effort being led by Kelly and Parnell being shot down by the state Supreme Court on Thursday. 

G.T. Thompson. A Pennsylvanian sits atop the House GOP Agriculture Committee for the 177th Congress. Rep. Thompson, of Centre County, was elected by the Republican Steering Committee to serve as the GOP Leader of the Agriculture Committee, taking over for Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX), who is retiring at the end of the current Congress. While the GOP made gains in the House in 2020 and hope to flip the chamber in 2022, Thompson could be the Chair of the committee in the following Congress. 

Vanessa Lowery Brown. Two years after “resigning in protest,” after being sentenced for taking bribes, the Philly Democrat has lost another court case. The Pennsylvania Superior Court refused to overturn Brown’s convictions on conflict of interest and bribery charges “stemming from an undercover sting operation,” PennLive reports. Brown was sentenced to 23 months of probation and ordered to pay $4,000 in restitution. 

Camera Bartolotta and Bill DeWeese. “I do.” Congratulations to state Sen. Camera Bartolotta and former Speaker Bill DeWeese on their marriage! Love truly conquers all — even partisan differences. 

Doug Mastriano. The Adams County Republican, who has become the face of Pennsylvania’s COVID mitigation backlash, has not had a few good weeks. Not only has Mastriano spread falsehoods about the presidential election, and joined Steve Bannon to say that the state legislature should overturn Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania, he entered a room with President Donald Trump and found out that he tested positive for COVID-19, first reported by the Associated Press. However, we wish Mastriano well and hope he recovers quickly against the virus. 

Philly GOP. The Twitter account of the Philadelphia Republican Party, which has shared a number of tweets alleging that the election has been “stolen” from President Donald Trump, had their account suspended temporarily, according to Billy Penn.  

Bunny Welsh. The former Chester County Sheriff, and her boyfriend, a former deputy, were charged with theft for taking “donation monday for the office’s K-9 unit and using it for their dog’s vet, grooming and boarding bills,” KYW Newsradio reports. 

KYW Newsradio. The Philadelphia radio staple, which has been heard for 55 years on the AM dial, can now also be heard on 103.9 FM in the Philly area. 

Rick Dayton. KDKA News Radio has a new afternoon host. Dayton, who has been in broadcast news for over 30 years, and has spent the last 11 years in Pittsburgh, will be heard on KDKA RAdio on weekdays from 3:00-to-6:00 p.m. starting on December 7. 

Planned Parenthood PA Advocates. It was a tumultuous week at Pa.’s political arm of Planned Parenthood. Emily Callen, executive director, resigned from her position after calls for her to resign grew in the organization, stemming from allegations that she “engaged in or enabled transphobic, racist, and anti-abortion rhetoric, and launched a sudden restructuring that would put many of the organization’s employees out of work in the midst of a pandemic,” Pittsburgh City Paper reports. 

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Sen. Bob Casey posting a clip of him taking a sip of beer (at 11 A.M. on a Tuesday when Pennsylvania’s election results were certified) was the talk of Pennsylvania political twitter for the week. 

PENNSYLVANIA UPDATE 40/40: The votes are in. The count is certified. @JoeBiden has won the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (again). And that’s a wrap on the 2020 election here in the Keystone State. pic.twitter.com/UPtjeL5VXE

— Bob Casey Jr. (@Bob_Casey) November 24, 2020