Missive to state central committee

Thirty-eight of Ohio's 88 GOP county chairs this morning asked the state central committee to oust Matt Borges as the party's state boss.

In an email from Jeff Matthews, chairman of the Stark County GOP, the 66 committee members were asked to choose the candidate backed by President-elect Donald Trump, Jane Timken.

"We believe it is important that the party move forward together, united, and with an eye to the future of the party as a whole - Jane Timken is the candidate who can best achieve this unity," Matthews said about the vice chair of his county GOP.

"I thank you for your service to the Republican Party and for your consideration of our views. We have great optimism for the future, and believe strongly that our commitment to vibrant discourse and our broad, inclusive community of leadership will continue to serve us well as we go forward with the task of bettering our party and taking solid, tangible steps to achieving good government at every level."

Few GOP leaders of Ohio's major counties, however, are listed as signing the communique.

Part of the message from the chairs:

"We not only believe that the views and sentiments of County Republican Chairmen ought to be considered by the Committee on such important matters as the election of a State Chairman but that the Committee andmost certainly the State Chairman ought to be absolutely unwavering in their support of all Republican nominees, at every level.

"Clearly, though, this wasNOTthe case in the instance of our 2016 Republican presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump. Consequently, we are now in jeopardy of having the State Party be completely at odds with the new Trump Administration, as well as with the RNC itself. This is, quite obviously, an untenable if not wholly unacceptable situation which onlyyou, the voting members of the State Committee, have the power to resolve.

"It is with all of this in mind that we, the undersigned, are urging you to unite the State Party behind Jane Timken as our next State Republican Chairman. She has impeccable personal qualifications and unquestioned standing among the political, financial and elective leadership of our Party at the state and national level."