Jane Timken has never been a candidate for public office. But working for years out of the limelight, she has taken a personal role in recruiting candidates, hosting fundraisers and organizing volunteer events for the Stark County Republican Party, local Republicans say. On Friday, she'll find out if she'll be the first Stark County resident in recent memory and possibly the first woman to lead the Ohio Republican Party.

Jane Timken decided in 2010 to become more active in helping the Stark County Republican Party field winning candidates because she was disturbed by Congress' passage of Obamacare.

Nearly seven years later, she could become the first Stark County resident to lead the Ohio Republican Party in recent memory.

The Ohio Republican Central Committee is set to meet in Columbus on Friday morning to select the state party's chair for a new two-year term.

Timken, 50, of Jackson Township, is the sole challenger to the party's current chairman, Matt Borges. He's been under criticism for what many Republicans believe is a lack of adequate support for President-elect Donald Trump.

Timken and Borges both have said they have the necessary 34 votes on the 66-member Central Committee to be elected.

Borges has the support of Gov. John Kasich, who refused to endorse Trump, and several top Republican state officeholders.

"Chairman Borges and the Ohio Republican Party have helped build the party in our state and consistently won races," the state GOP said in a statement, which added that Borges had said he would vote for Trump. "That's why more than 100 Republican leaders across the state have endorsed Matt Borges to be reelected Chairman."

Timken said Robert Paduchik, who headed Trump's Ohio campaign, asked her to seek the position and she has Trump's support. Timken vs. Borges is seen as the latest battle between Trump and Kasich.

Local supporters

Several local Republicans said they are enthusiastically lobbying Central Committee members for Timken. They include Sarah Brown, of Alliance, and former Stark County Republican Chair Curt Braden of North Canton who are Central Committee members; along with Stark County Commissioner Janet Weir Creighton, State Rep. Christina Hagan, R-Marlboro Township and Stark County Republican Chair Jeff Matthews. Matthews and 40 other GOP county chairs or vice chairs have signed a letter backing Timken.

"She has done all the work, not only around this county knocking on doors, raising money ... coordinating the organizations in this county, but she has been sitting at the table 20 to 25 years with all the major donors across this country," Brown said. "We're behind her all the way."

Braden said the situation where Kasich wasn't supporting the party's nominee was unacceptable.

"I'm so excited. I can't wait to vote for her," said Braden, who cited Timken's ability to work with all Republicans. "I've been reaching out to fellow Republicans around the state and I'm not receiving pushback for her to be chairman. They're looking for new leadership."

Creighton said she and Timken have met from time to time to brainstorm over which Republicans to recruit to run for public office.

"Jane brings a wealth of grass-roots understanding. Very well versed in the political world. The standing of her family does not hurt her presence on the big stage," Creighton said. "I think it is time we have more unity and more collaboration. The Ohio Republican Party needs a jump start. It was evident to me at the convention that we were not as cohesive as we have been in the past. ... the state (party) has to have a relationship with the president-elect."

Matthews said dozens of GOP county chairs including himself feel the state party has to coordinate its efforts more with the local county parties.

"I think that the party would (benefit) from having someone that understands the needs at the local level and because of her experience, she would bring about that change," said Matthews. "But the No. 1 issue at this point is party unity and Jane is certainly in my opinion the only candidate who can bring about that. ... the fact the presidential campaign disassociated itself with the (Ohio) Republican Party is unconscionable. It's unprecedented."

State Sen. Scott Oelslager, R-North Canton, has endorsed Timken, but State Rep. Kirk Schuring, R-Jackson Township, is staying neutral. Schuring is the Speaker Pro Tempore under Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, who is backing Borges.

Jane Timken's roots

Timken, was born Jane Murphy in Cincinnati, the daughter of a law school professor and a nurse who also was a midwife. As a Harvard student, she was interning for a law firm in Washington, D.C. during the summer in 1987 while riding the bus to work when she met her future husband, Tim Timken, who was then attending Georgetown University. He is now the CEO of TimkenSteel.

After she graduated from Harvard in 1989, she got her law degree from American University and married Tim Timken in 1994. They moved to Stark County, where she worked for the firm Black McCuskey. The Timkens had two children. Meanwhile, Jane Timken worked as a magistrate for then-Stark County Common Pleas Judge Sara Lioi and served as an attorney for Soles Law Offices in North Canton.

Timken has served on numerous local nonprofit boards, most notably as chair of the board of Kent State University, from 2005 to 2014 and was board chair and director of ArtsinStark.

Her husband's family, the descendants of the founders of the Timken Co., had long been active in Republican politics. The campaign finance reports of several Ohio Republican candidates and organizations show that the Timkens, their spouses, including Jane and Tim Timken, top Timken executives and the Timken Co. political-action committee are often among their largest contributors.

Timken said she was attracted by the Republican Party's principles of "limited government, less regulation, lower taxes, pro business, just a good conservative outlook on life," and "I'm Catholic. I'm pro-life."

After Republicans suffered losses at the national, state and local level in 2006 and 2008, Timken said the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 and the increasing government mandates over health care spurred her to get more involved in the local Republican Party.

"I decided I need to get more involved and help recruit more candidates and be more active in raising funds and be more active with the party organization," said Timken, who became the Stark County Republican Party vice chair in 2010 and was a Republican National Convention delegate for Mitt Romney in 2012. "I just felt we were becoming a regulatory state and that needed to stop."

After she organized fundraising and get-out-the-vote events for Trump last year — and Trump won nearly 52 percent of the vote in Ohio — Timken launched her campaign Dec. 4 and began meeting with Central Committee members around the state.

"I felt I have the experience in fundraising and campaign activities and the leadership style that's needed for the Ohio Republican Party," Timken said. "I have a proven track record of raising millions of dollars for ... county, state, federal and presidential candidates."

She pledged to "work hand-in-hand with county party chairmen to work to recruit candidates for our bench" and consulting more with the state central committee.

But most importantly, Timken said she can bring unity to the party and if she prevails, she would not seek to settle scores with those who back Borges.

"The party must have a good relationship with the RNC and the White House, and I have the support of both," she said. "It has to have better relationships with the county party chairs. It has to improve relationships among the state committee members. They need to have an active voice. The party needs to be run for all Republicans, not one particular candidate or group of candidates.

"I have great respect for Matt, but I think it's time for a change. ... I'm a firm believer in party unity and it would be my hope to bring everyone together. We have to work together as a Republican family."

Reach Repository writer Robert Wang at (330) 580-8327 or robert.wang@cantonrep.com. Twitter: @rwangREP