GOP 2016 Cleveland

In this July 2016 file photo, Ohio Gov. John Kasich addresses his political supporters during an event at the the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.

(Alex Brandon, The Associated Press)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - As Election Day turned to Election Night, two of Ohio's top Republicans sat on big plans largely contingent upon Donald Trump going down in flames.

Gov. John Kasich, who fell short in his own bid for the GOP presidential nomination, was preparing a Thursday speech in Washington, where he would outline a Trump-free vision for his party and country. It would be an early first step toward another run in 2020.

Matt Borges, the Ohio Republican Party chief and a Kasich ally, was angling to be the next Republican National Committee chairman. He would build his case on his success in a key battleground and on his ability to navigate messy political circumstances. But for this to work, Trump probably had to win Ohio and lose the Electoral College to Hillary Clinton.

Trump took care of the first by blowing out Clinton here. No one could say that Kasich, who refused to campaign or vote for Trump, or that Borges, who clashed with Trump's team and was viewed suspiciously by some because of his loyalty to the governor, cost Trump a crucial state.

But Trump's unanticipated national victory crushed their plans.

"The American people have spoken and it's time to come together," Kasich posted Wednesday morning on Twitter. "Congratulations President-elect @realDonaldTrump."

The American people have spoken and it’s time to come together. Congratulations President-elect @realDonaldTrump. — John Kasich (@JohnKasich) November 9, 2016

It had to have been a tough message for Kasich's team to type. He ran as the grownup in the 2016 race, one who wanted to redefine conservatism for a changing country. As Trump began running away with the nomination, Kasich spoke of a choice between "two paths" and warned that Trump's was cluttered with divisive language and unrealistic policy proposals.

Kasich likely would have made a similar pitch in 2020. In refusing to support Trump, after initially pledging to back his party's eventual nominee, he aimed to protect his brand from any damage a Trump loss might inflict on the GOP. The goal was to emerge from this election as one of the nation's most likable Republicans and quickly assert himself as a party healer.

Instead, after Trump triumphed, plans for the Thursday speech were quickly scrubbed.

"I think the notion that he was going to somehow use that speech to announce that he was running for 2020 or lay out a vision for 2020 was overblown," Borges said Wednesday in an interview with cleveland.com. "There are certainly things he was going to say that aren't necessary to the conversation now. But that doesn't mean they won't be in the future."

Few of Kasich's political advisers would speak on the record about his political future. All agreed that, barring extraordinary developments in a Trump administration, he would not challenge a sitting president for the Republican nomination in four years.

Kasich, 64, is term-limited as governor and will leave office after the 2018 election. With the White House out of reach, those close to Kasich expect him to make the most of his final two years and use his national profile at times to speak out on issues important to him. He is expected to attend next week's Republican Governors Association conference in Orlando, Fla.

"He's going to take some time, relax and let everything unfold," said Don Thibaut, a longtime member of Kasich's inner circle. "Let all this dust and animosity settle."

Ohio polls in the last month were all over the place in terms of measuring Kasich's popularity. An early October poll by Monmouth University showed Kasich, with a 58 percent job-approval rating, paying no price for his opposition to Trump. Another, by Public Policy Polling, found that less than half of Trump voters here approved of Kasich. Respondents to a third survey, by Suffolk University, had a split opinion - 41 percent favorable, 40 percent unfavorable.

Already there is speculation around the Statehouse that Kasich's refusal to back Trump could cost him political capital with the next General Assembly, where Republicans added one seat each to their big majorities in House and Senate. Many GOP lawmakers are friendly with the governor - and some in competitive races this year gladly accepted his assistance. But the posturing to succeed Kasich and other term-limited statewide officeholders is intensifying.

"John Kasich has to be himself and lead the only way he knows how," said Ohio Right to Life President Michael Gonidakis, a Kasich ally who embraced Trump. "However, he's going to have to measure his expectations because this emboldened General Assembly has its own ideas. Some would now argue that our great governor is not number one in the pecking order."

As for Borges, there remains speculation about his next move. He acknowledged Wednesday that the RNC chairmanship is all but out of the question for him. Trump likely will have veto power over who gets that job, and the president-elect probably won't want a Kasich loyalist in the post.

Some have wondered if the Trump forces will target Borges at the state level in hopes of installing someone they believe will be more supportive of their agenda. But that could be an odd and counterproductive move. Ohio Republicans, under Borges' leadership, had a very strong night up and down the ticket Tuesday.

Borges said he has a cordial relationship with Trump and downplayed his feud with Bob Paduchik, the campaign's Ohio director. He said he spoke with Trump briefly Tuesday night during a congratulatory phone call after the Buckeye State results were announced. (Borges also said he sent a congratulatory text message to Paduchik but did not receive a reply.)

Kasich, meanwhile, will make it to Washington - and the White House - after all Thursday. The governor is scheduled to join President Barack Obama at a ceremony to honor the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers.