Jason Williams, Chrissie Thompson, and Jessie Balmert

Cincinnati

COLUMBUS - On Friday, Donald Trump and Gov. John Kasich will face off in their latest proxy battle for the hearts and minds of Ohio Republicans – and the president-elect himself on Thursday entered the fray.

Trump supporter Jane Timken, a Cincinnati native and Walnut Hills High School graduate, is challenging Kasich-backed incumbent Matt Borges for the Ohio Republican Party's top spot.

On Thursday, Trump himself called several Southwest Ohioans who have a vote in the race for chairperson, pushing for Timken's election. Kasich has also placed personal calls.

“This is the leader-of-the-free-world-to-be, and you would think of all the appointments that he's doing and all the people he’s filling his cabinet with and getting ready for the inauguration, why would he take the time out to call me?" said Milford's Greg Simpson, who got one of the calls asking him to hold for Trump. East Walnut Hills' Stan Aronoff, a former Ohio Senate president, also said he spoke to Trump.

At first, Simpson said, he thought it was a joke or that Trump would be speaking via a recording. Simpson, who runs a trucking company, voted for Trump and enjoyed discussing road improvements with the president-elect. But he still plans to vote for Borges.

Kasich and his supporters installed Borges as chairman in 2013 after they deposed former leader Kevin DeWine and replaced much of the party's governing body with supporters. But some Republicans, including Trump, aren't thrilled with Borges' tepid support of the president-elect – or with the opposition Trump experienced this fall from Kasich.

On Friday, the Ohio Republican Party's 66-member governing body will select a new leader and, perhaps, a new direction. Here's what you need to know:

1. This is a fight between Trump and Kasich.

Even before Trump started making phone calls on her behalf, Timken had Trump's support to challenge Borges. "I spoke with President-elect Trump and he agrees that it is time for a leadership change at the ORP," she wrote in an email to the Ohio Republican Party's 66 central committee members.

Kasich is backing Borges. "He has done an outstanding job running a complex organization and has an unparalleled record of winning," the governor said in a statement.

Trump and Kasich waged a war of words throughout the GOP primary campaign, when both were presidential hopefuls, and into November. In July, Trump's then-campaign manager Paul Manafort bashed Kasich before the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Kasich later refused to endorse Trump or even vote for him.

Borges largely 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 Trump-Kasich fight continues with this latest round, the battle for control of the Ohio Republican Party. If the state's top Republican is out of step with the nation's top Republican, where will the state party stand?

2. It's not clear who will win.

Borges and Timken have both told reporters they have the 34 votes needed to win. One of them is wrong.

Some members, such as Simpson or Cincinnati Tea Party President Ann Becker, have declared their allegiances. (Becker is voting for Timken.) Others are waiting to hear Friday's speeches.

“I think they are two very qualified candidates, and it will be interesting to hear what both say," said Aronoff, who, like Timken, graduated from Walnut Hills High School.

Many are holding their cards close to their chest and waiting to see if a leader emerges.

Neither Timken nor Borges responded to a request for comment this week.

3. Friday's vote will be secret.

Friday's vote for the next party leader will be a secret ballot. The party's 66 members are not required to disclose whom they picked, and the public will learn only the final count.

That means those who publicly support Timken or Borges could covertly change their minds.

4. Trump's pick isn't a fringe candidate.

Timken has experience with Republican fundraising and campaigns. She isn't an outsider like tea party leader Tom Zawistowski, who unsuccessfully challenged Borges for the chairman position in 2013.

Timken initially supported Kasich's presidential bid, donating $2,700 to his campaign in February 2016, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Timken has helped raise millions for national, statewide and local candidates and served as vice chairman of the Stark County Republican Party. She hosted a fundraiser for Trump in August with her husband, TimkenSteel Chief Executive Tim Timken.

As Trump told Simpson on Thursday: "You know, she doesn’t need the money. She’s got all kinds of money. She just wants the job."

For Republicans irked with by Borges' tepid support of Trump, Timken represents a different path.

On Wednesday, a group of more than 40 current and former GOP county leaders, including Clermont County's GOP Chairman Dave Uible, advocated for Timken's election in an email to the governing body's members. (Republicans leaders from Ohio's largest counties, Cuyahoga, Franklin and Hamilton, were not among them.)

Hamilton County Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou, who is a member of the governing body, wouldn't say which candidate he preferred.

“We need to have leadership who can work well across the board, including with our new administration,” Triantafilou told The Enquirer. He then praised Borges’ record of helping Republicans winning statewide races and Timken’s leadership experience.

Kasich backs Borges, setting up battle with Trump forces

5. Kasich largely selected the group picking the next chairperson

After his election in 2011, Kasich and his allies launched a full campaign to put his backers on the Ohio Republican Party's governing body. The governor's main target: overthrowing then-Chairman DeWine, who was forced to resign in 2012. Kasich and his top advisers then dubbed Borges the party's next leader.

Since then, Borges and Kasich's allies have worked, largely with success, to save pro-Kasich seats on the central committee from an insurgence of tea party members recruited to challenge them, including during the Republican primary last March. Now, Kasich's allies are confident his backers will stick with Borges.

But many of those Kasich supporters could be swayed to support Timken. For example, Ohio's electors, who cast the state's votes for Trump last month, included many longtime Kasich supporters who now enthusiastically back Trump. Those people are weighing their longtime allegiance to Kasich with their view that Ohio's Republicans should get in line behind the nation's new leader and his priorities.

Follow @jbalmert on Twitter Friday morning for the latest updates from the Ohio Republican Party meeting.