- Ivanka Trump will not seek the Florida Senate seat held by Marco Rubio in 2022.
- Sources told The New York Times that Ivanka informed Rubio of the decision several weeks ago.
- Ivanka’s permanent move to Florida in January fueled speculation she would run for state office.
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
Ivanka Trump told Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida she will not be challenging him for his Senate seat in 2022, according to The New York Times.
The eldest daughter of former President Donald Trump reportedly informed Rubio of her decision last month, shortly after the January 6 Capitol riots, according to the Times.
For months, Ivanka was rumored to have been considering a Senate run in the Sunshine state, after it was reported that her family was permanently moving into a $32 million home there. Florida voted for Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 elections.
But according to a person close to Ivanka, who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity, a Senate run was never something she considered seriously.
This was confirmed by Rubio’s spokesperson, Nick Iacovella, who told the Times: “Marco did speak with Ivanka a few weeks ago. Ivanka offered her support for Marco’s re-election. They had a great talk.”
Rubio and Ivanka have prior experience of working together. They both worked on the child care tax reform during Trump’s presidency, and are planning to do a joint event to highlight the issue in April, according to Iacovella.
“Marco has been a tremendous advocate for working families, a good personal friend and I know he will continue to drive meaningful progress on issues we both care deeply about,” Ivanka said in a statement to CNN.
Ivanka’s decision to pass up a Senate bid does not rule out the possibility of her looking at other political avenues.
A report by Axios published earlier this month found that Trump’s eldest daughter was considering making criminal justice reform the center of her political career.
“Ivanka definitely has political ambitions, no question about it,” a source told CNN last month.
Ivanka’s decision to not run for a seat puts Rubio, who has been in the Senate for 10 years, in a strong position heading into his reelection campaign next year.
Meanwhile, Ivanka’s sister-in-law, Lara Trump, is considering a run for Senate in her native state of North Carolina but people briefed on the matter say she’s unlikely to run, the Times reported.
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