The election is over, but President-Elect Donald Trump is still rolling up victories in Ohio.  As The Plain Dealer of Cleveland reported on January 6:

In another victory for the forces of Donald Trump, Stark County attorney Jane Timken was narrowly elected Ohio Republican Party chair Friday against incumbent chair Matt Borges.

Timken, Trump's favored candidate, was elected by the state GOP's central committee after two deadlocked votes. After closed-door negotiations, Borges agreed to withdraw in exchange for being named chairman emeritus of the party -- though he said it's not exactly clear yet what that job will entail beyond helping Timken during the transition process.

Timken's victory is the latest display of the president-elect's newfound clout within the state party. It also marks a defeat for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who endorsed and lobbied for Borges to remain.

The selection of the Ohio Republican chair is important.

In the 2016 election, Gov. John Kasich did not support Trump, nor did he put the party's formidable machine fully behind the GOP candidate.  Given that Ohio was a critical swing state, this petulance on Kasich's part was seen as indirectly enabling the election of Hillary Clinton. 

Why did Kasich renege on his prior commitment to support his party's nominee?  Why would Kasich stand aside and be willing to see Hillary Clinton elected president?

Many political observers believe that Kasich, after being crushed in the Republican primaries to a humiliating degree, still harbored dreams of the presidency.  With all the faux polls predicting a Hillary win, if not a landslide, perhaps the Ohio governor thought he could burnish his anti-Trump credentials and position himself to run against Clinton in 2020 as a "moderate" Republican. 

Ah, but the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.  Not only did Trump not disappear, but he came back to Ohio to give Kasich a well deserved black eye in Kasich's own backyard.

With the selection of Jane Timken as the Ohio Republican chair, Kasich's political future just dimmed considerably.  If Kasich can't hold his own local base together as a sitting governor, what chance does he have nationally?