Trump's pick, not Kasich's, named chair of Ohio GOP
COLUMBUS, Ohio — This is no longer John Kasich's party.
Donald Trump's pick for Ohio Republican Party chairwoman took the helm Friday, after the Ohio governor's longtime ally failed to secure enough votes for his re-election. The chairperson's election served as a proxy for Trump versus Kasich, capping months of feuding between the former presidential rivals.
Under a deal reached Friday, Clifton native and Stark County resident Jane Timken, an ally of the president-elect, was elected the state party's first female chairperson. Incumbent Chairman Matt Borges, a Kasich adviser, agreed to step down into a chairman emeritus role.
Although the party was split nearly evenly, the result marked a victory of Trump over Kasich, both of whom were personally involved in the race for chairperson. In the end, Ohio Republicans delivered a rebuke of their governor, who refused to vote for Trump, and their incumbent chairman, who was vocal in his critiques of Trump during the general election.
"We cannot have a chairman who picks and chooses which candidate gets support," Timken told her fellow Republicans. "I'm the person that's going to take this party to a new direction," she told reporters later.
In two years, Kasich will no longer be governor, and Trump is likely still to be president. Ohio Republicans chose their next president over their governor.
Two rounds of voting Friday morning put the Ohio Republican Party's central committee at 33-32, Timken over Borges. (One member of the 66-member committee was out sick.) The winner needed 34 votes.
The committee took a recess, and Borges and Timken met in a side room with their spouses, the chairmen of the Republican parties in Franklin and Cuyahoga counties, and Trump's Ohio campaign chairman. Timken won the party's top spot after the deal was announced.
Borges' allies had been confident of having a healthy margin for re-election. After the first round of voting gave Timken the edge, Borges, seemingly shaken, promised to include Timken in his leadership team, saying it was obvious many people wanted her involved. During the recess, Kasich himself apparently was whipping votes.
While Borges and Timken were in the ring, the Ohio GOP chairman's fight was really between Kasich and Trump.
Kasich would not participate in the Republican National Convention in his home state that nominated Trump. He later refused to vote for Trump. Trump and his campaign staff attacked Kasich, calling him an embarrassment to the state. As late as Thursday, Trump made calls to several members of the Ohio GOP’s governing body to stump for Timken, and central committee members were shown this on Friday.
Both Borges and Timken initially supported Kasich’s bid for president, but Timken was quicker to jump on the Trump train. She hosted a fundraiser for Trump in August with her husband, TimkenSteel Chief Executive Tim Timken.
Borges stood by Kasich, speaking out against Trump's policies and demeanor before ultimately backing him in the general election. Many Republicans thought Borges should have kept his mouth shut.
The voting group that on Friday was divided over the chairperson candidates was selected largely by Borges and other Kasich allies. They campaigned in 2012 to elect their supporters to the party's central committee precisely so that Kasich would have a group that backed his actions and priorities.
On Friday, that group showed itself willing to back someone else.
Still, Borges has led the party through notable Republican success, with victories in 2014 and 2016. He said he could continue to advise Timken, although she said the specifics of his role would come to light later.
"I don't think I'm out. I think I'm here," Borges told reporters after the meeting.
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