Donald Trump calls Ohio Republicans, urges them to oust state GOP chair

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last updated 6 January 2017

Donald Trump took time away from his busy Thursday of tweeting and giving a sworn deposition for a lawsuit to personally call about a dozen Ohio Republicans and encourage them to unseat the current state GOP chairman.

On Friday, the 66 members of the Ohio Republican Party Central Committee will vote for the next chairperson, and people familiar with the calls told Politico Trump spoke with several committee members and conveyed that they should oust Matt Borges. He also threw his support behind Jane Timken, a fundraiser during his campaign. The phone list was given to him by his former Ohio director Bob Paduchik, a critic of Borges. If a person didn't pick up, Trump opted against leaving a voicemail, and instead called them back.

One person who received a call was Greg Simpson, who told the Cincinnati Inquirer, "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?" Borges is close to Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), the former presidential candidate and Trump foe who did not vote for him in the election. Borges has Kasich's backing, as well as Simpson's — he told the Inquirer he cast his ballot for Trump and enjoyed their conversation, but he's still going to vote for Borges.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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