Jessie Balmert, and Chrissie Thompson

Cincinnati

COLUMBUS - The Ohio GOP is no longer John Kasich's party.

Donald Trump's pick for Ohio Republican Party chairwoman took the helm Friday, after the incumbent chairman, a longtime ally of the Ohio governor, failed to secure enough votes for his re-election. The chairperson's race 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 was elected the state party's first female chairperson. Incumbent Chairman Matt Borges agreed to step down into a chairman emeritus role.

Although the party was split nearly evenly, the result marked a victory for the president-elect 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," the Walnut Hills High School graduate told reporters later. She emphasized the support she received from Republican voters and county leaders who felt ignored by the party's top leaders.

In two years, Kasich will no longer be governor, and Trump is likely still to be president. On Friday, Ohio Republicans chose their next president over their current governor.

Two rounds of secret voting 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 to become chairperson, a role that includes running the state party's Columbus office and staff.

Following the first two votes, the committee took a recess. 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 later won the party's top spot, with Borges withdrawing his name from consideration. After the election, some Republicans, such as Hamilton County Chairman Alex Triantafilou, still declined to share how they had voted.

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 got involved.

While Borges and Timken were in the ring, the Ohio GOP chairman's fight was really between Kasich and Trump.

After Trump became Republicans' presumptive nominee, Kasich would not participate in the Republican National Convention in his home state. 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. Team Kasich 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.

Timken's new job is salaried at $170,000. While the chairwoman reports to the 66-member central committee, she has broad authority over the direction of the party and its candidates.

Who is Jane Timken?

The Ohio Republican Party's first female leader, Jane Timken, 50, was born and raised in Clifton. Then Jane Murphy, she graduated from Walnut Hills High School, Harvard University and later American University with her law degree. After graduating, she married Tim Timken, now chief executive of TimkenSteel, and moved to Canton. The couple has two children.

Jane Timken worked as an attorney and magistrate in Stark County before devoting herself to Republican party activism. She served as chair of the Kent State University Board of Trustees and vice chairwoman of the Stark County Republican Party. Jane Timken has raised millions for GOP candidates up and down the ticket. She has never run for office herself.

She told reporters that it's important to have a female in this position. "I think it's a historic moment."