Donald Trump's Ohio campaign director Robert Paduchi sent a blistering two page letter to the Ohio Republican Central Committee, accusing its chairman, Matt Borges, of not being sufficiently enthused about the GOP candidate and said they would no longer work with him.

Did I mention the election is 24 days away?

Columbus Dispatch:

“Mr. Trump told me, ‘this is why people have lost faith in the establishment and party leaders,’” Paduchik added to the 66-member group, which picks the chairman.

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Trump and Paduchik discussed what to do about Borges on Trump’s jet as they flew Thursday between campaign appearances in Columbus and Cincinnati.

“It’s no great secret that Chairman Borges was never fully on board, but his actions over the last week demonstrate that his loyalties to Gov. John Kasich’s failed presidential campaign eclipse his responsibility as chairman of the Ohio Republican Party,” Paduchik said in the letter. “The chairman is also driven by an apparently insatiable need for publicity.”

Borges, who many say is seeking to become Republican National Committee chairman if Trump goes down Nov. 8, has appeared on CNN and Fox News and has talked to several Ohio news outlets in the week since the emergence of a 2005 video of Trump crudely describing his sexual exploitation of women.

Borges doesn't appear willing to change his ways.

"We are sending out a clarification of all the things we have done, are doing, and will continue to do for the Trump campaign to our state committee shortly," he told The Dispatch. "I would never let a staffer's ego get in the way the Ohio Republican Party doing its job."

This afternoon, Borges emailed a list of 10 ways the state party has helped Trump — including Borges' recommendation of Paduchik to run the Ohio campaign.

"Interestingly, none of Bob’s concerns were voiced until he shared them publicly today," Borges told party members.

Kevin Madden, a national GOP consultant who helped Mitt Romney's presidential campaigns, was mystified by the struggle in Ohio.

"It just doesn't make much sense. Why pick a fight like this with just over three weeks until Election Day?

"The Ohio Republican Party, its chairman and its leadership are admired by many around the country for their hard work and their efficiency in what's arguably the toughest battleground state. Governor Kasich's popularity and Senator Portman's strong position right now are a reflection of that."

The initial response of key Ohio Republicans condemned Trump's effort against Borges. Many from the GOP were tweeting with an #ImWithMatt hashtag.

Does Paduchi have a point? He most certainly does. Most of the GOP leadership in Ohio are Kasich men and women. If they can't keep their doubts about Trump to themselves, they should step aside and allow a true believer to take over.

Trump was fighting headwinds in Ohio in the first place, and the Kasich crowd wasn't making it any easier. But Borges has been mouthing off about Trump for months. Why wait until 3 weeks before the election to act?

It's just one more indication of the incompetence of the Trump campaign that in this absolutely vital state for the Republican, he is slow to recognize the problem and acts on it too late.

Recent polls in Ohio show Clinton clinging to a narrow lead. It's safe to say that the state party and the Trump campaign did not need this schism at this time.