Three political takeaways from the latest Census numbers for New England and beyond By James Pindell Globe Staff,Updated April 26, 2021, 5:39 p.m. Email to a Friend People gathered in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania lost clout in Congress and presidential contests.Matt Rourke/Associated Press The first release of nationwide population numbers from the 2020 US Census gives some important clues as to how American politics will be shaped in the next decade and beyond. To be sure, the hard count of how many people live in which states can only determine so much with respect to the power of individual states in, say, the presidential election or in deciding the balance of power in the US House. It cannot say much about how popular President Biden will be during his reelection campaign (should he seek one) much less about what kinds of political debates the nation will be having in elections going forward.