The U.S. Senate campaign staff for Congressman Tim Ryan is joining the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1466 — the first U.S. Senate campaign in the state’s history to unionize.

There are about five union-eligible members of Ryan’s Senate campaign staff. As it grows, those who work for him will also join the union.

“We’re proud to share his dedication to workers including voluntary recognition for our union,” his staff said in a statement. “…We know that a robust staff union will ensure that our team has the support we need to win this race and flip Ohio blue.”

Tim Burga, president of the Ohio AFL-CIO, oversaw and certified the union election. The Ohio AFL-CIO has endorsed Ryan, D-Howland, in the 2022 Senate race.

“I’m proud to be running a race that puts workers first and I applaud our team for making history by becoming the first unionized Senate campaign in Ohio history,” Ryan said.

IBEW Local 1466 is based in Columbus and primarily represents American Electric Power workers throughout the state.

Jason Wright, IBEW Local 1466 president and business manager, said, “The Ryan campaign will be better off for their early action to organize and build collective power.”

“It’s no secret that campaigns are known for long hours and demanding work environments, which is why it’s so important that staff are treated fairly and with the dignity that comes from joining a union,” Burga said.

Ryan, a 10-term House member, will face Morgan Harper, an attorney and community organizer who lost a 2020 congressional race, in the Democratic primary in May 2022.

The Republican candidates include Josh Mandel, a former state treasurer; former Ohio Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken; businessmen Bernie Moreno, Mike Gibbons and Mark Pukita; J.D. Vance, author and venture capitalist; and state Sen. Matt Dolan.

The seat is open because incumbent Republican Rob Portman isn’t seeking reelection next year.

A poll conducted by WPA Intelligence of Washington, D.C., and paid for by Mandel’s campaign shows he is leading the field with 37 percent of the vote, followed by Vance with 13 percent, Gibbons with 8 percent and Timken with 6 percent. The poll also lists 26 percent as undecided.

The telephone poll of about 510 registered Republican voters, taken Sept. 20 to last Thursday, has a 4.3 percent margin of error.