Can Ivanka Trump defeat Marco Rubio? – By Nathan L. Gonzales (Roll Call) / Feb 3 2021
Ex-first daughter starts with high name ID but has never run for office, and beating incumbent senators in primaries is not easy
ANALYSIS — President Donald Trump’s grip on the Republican Party is well documented, but could Ivanka Trump really knock off Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in a GOP primary next year? Put me down as skeptical.
First of all, I’m not convinced the former president’s daughter even runs. If Ivanka does her homework and listens to some sober sources, she’ll find that challenging an incumbent senator in the primary will probably be one of the most difficult things she’s ever done, at least if she plans on winning.
The reality of the current GOP being “Trump’s Republican Party” and the former president and his family reigning over Republicans is a nice narrative, but a more intentional look at an Ivanka vs. Marco matchup paints a daunting picture for the potential challenger.
The bottom line is that it is difficult to defeat senators in primaries. It’s happened nine times in the past 40 years. That’s a 99.9 percent renomination rate across more than 500 senators going back to 1982. By those numbers, it’s pretty clear that it takes extraordinary circumstances for a senator to lose in a primary.
CONTINUE > https://www.rollcall.com/2021/02/03/can-ivanka-trump-defeat-marco-rubio/
