Ohio Republican leadership fight delayed as chairman fends off vote until January

Ohio Republicans on Friday aired out an internal fight over who should lead the party, just 60 days before a statewide election and at the same time that state leaders celebrated a major economic development win.

Ohio GOP Chairman Bob Paduchik successfully fended off an attempt to hold elections for party leader spots on Friday. Instead, the party's central committee will hold officer elections in January.

"It's time to put the cheese on the cracker, people. Let's talk about what's really going on here. There's a small group of people that have been holding secret meetings and zoom calls with other members. That's never happened before," said former state lawmaker and party central committee member Michelle Schneider. She urged her fellow Republicans to put aside internal division and focus on winning elections. "We have to elect J.D. Vance and our supreme court justices. Let's get real."

Committee member Laura Rosenberger argued that state law required holding immediate election of party officers.

The fight underscores GOP divisions even as the party's elected officials repeatedly defeat Democratic challengers in a reddening state. New members of the Ohio Republican Party's governing body − some of whom ousted longtime officials such as ex-Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery − say they want more transparency on finances, endorsements and party operations.

Summit County Republican Party Chairman Bryan Williams wants to run the state party. He is currently vice chairman.

Some GOP members are frustrated with the Ohio Republican Party's decision to endorse Gov. Mike DeWine in the four-way May primary. The party didn't endorse in the crowded U.S. Senate race to replace Sen. Rob Portman. Venture capitalist and author J.D. Vance ultimately won that race with the backing of former President Donald Trump.

Williams said the decision to endorse DeWine before the primary was "strategically unwise" because it divided Republicans, but he backs DeWine's reelection bid and insists his effort isn't a referendum on the governor. "He’s the nominee, and everyone supports him."

If Williams is elected, former Ohio Rep. Jim Renacci would have a bigger role in the party's direction. He volunteered to work on changes to the endorsement process and the party platform.

On Wednesday, Trump endorsed DeWine's reelection bid. It's not clear how Trump's nod will play with Republicans frustrated by how DeWine has led the state, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Paduchik served as Trump's Ohio campaign manager in 2016 and a senior advisor of the former president's reelection bid. Both times, Trump won Ohio by 8 percentage points. Paduchik also worked on campaigns for DeWine, Portman, former president George W. Bush and former Gov. Bob Taft.

Paduchik replaced ex-Ohio Republican Party leader Jane Timken in February 2021 after she announced a bid for Portman's seat. Before that, Timken ousted then-Ohio GOP leader Matt Borges in an apparent power grab by Trump over then-Gov. John Kasich in January 2017.

Borges won the job in 2013 after Kasich pushed out Kevin DeWine, a distant cousin of Ohio's current governor. Before that, Bob Bennett led the party for more than two decades.

Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Republicans' infighting boils over with leadership challenge