Tim Ryan’s Senate campaign staff unionizes

Rep. Tim Ryan’s (D-Ohio) Senate campaign staff announced it was unionizing on Tuesday, making history as the first unionized Senate campaign in the Buckeye State’s history. 

“Tim Ryan’s record of fighting for Ohio workers is what drew us to this race, and we’re proud to share that his dedication to workers includes voluntary recognition for our union,” Ryan’s campaign staff said in a statement. 

The staff union said it organized with IBEW Local 1466 and that Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga certified the election. 

Ryan, a vocal supporter of labor unions, said he “applauded” his staff’s move. 

“Every worker — whether you work in health care or manufacturing, practice a trade or staff a political campaign — deserves strong protections and a voice on the job, and one of the best ways to make that happen is by making it easier to join a union,” Ryan said in a statement. 

Ryan is seen as the front-runner in his race against progressive activist Morgan Harper in the state’s Democratic Senate primary.

The congressman raked in more than $2 million for his Senate bid in the second quarter of 2021 and transferred another $1 million from his House campaign account.

On the Republican side of the aisle, multiple candidates are battling it out for the GOP Senate nomination as the party looks to defend outgoing Sen. Rob Portman’s (R) seat. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race as “lean Republican.”