A top official at the Republican National Committee lambasted Ohio Gov. John Kasich in a column Friday, calling him "selfish," "jealous" - and President Trump's "Antagonist in Chief."
He did not mean it as a compliment.
Bob Paduchik, the co-chair of the RNC and Trump's former Ohio state campaign director, unloaded on Kasich in a column for Cleveland.com. He said Trump's thumping of Kasich in the 2016 Republican primaries - Kasich won only one primary, in his home state of Ohio - left Kasich a "sore loser."
Kasich never endorsed Trump, refused to vote for him, and has ramped up criticism even as other Republicans have embraced Trump.
Trump and Kasich have sparred on social media, most recently in the wake of the special election in Ohio's 12th congressional district. The Republican, Troy Balderson, appears to have eked out a win but the race is still too close to call.
Trump and Kasich each blamed each other for the narrow margin in what had been a safely GOP district.
"It's 2018 but Kasich is still running for president in 2016," Paduchik wrote.
"And he is insanely jealous. Kasich cannot come to terms with the fact that President Trump is so popular, he can come to Ohio and draw crowds measured in the tens of thousands. Donald J. Trump can motivate legions of volunteers and countless voters with a single rally appearance...."
"I am certain it's hard to run for president and lose twice. Most people take the humbling experience of failure as an opportunity to grow, but Kasich has taken the path less traveled. Sad. "
Kasich responded via his "Kasich for America" campaign committee. He said the attacks and Trump tweets show Trump is shaken by Kasich.
"They are threatened by the Governor and know his message works," campaign strategist John Weaver wrote in an email. He said Kasich can appeal to swing voters and independents in a way Trump can't.
The RNC, he said, "is already taking steps to rig the Party's nominating process in 2020," he wrote. "You don't do these things if you don't feel threatened and vulnerable."
In Ohio, 54 percent of voters disapprove of the job Trump is doing while 52 percent of voters approve of the job Kasich is doing, according to a June Quinnipiac University poll. Republicans viewed Trump much more favorably than Kasich.