Former Ilocos Norte Gov. Maria Imelda Josefa “Imee” Marcos, daughter of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, was proclaimed senator-elect Wednesday after placing 8th in the Senate race with a total of 15,882,628 votes.

Marcos decided to run for senator after her brother, former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., continued to pursue his electoral protest against Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, who he claims cheated him.

It appeared to be a reluctant run at first for the 63-year-old Marcos, who admitted herself that she had previously considered that the Senate “was not for me."

A political analyst said Marcos’ first foray into the Senate is aimed at making the Marcos brand still relevant in the national political scene and continuing the family’s political comeback since the strongman patriarch’s fall through a popular revolt in 1986.

"I think it prompted her and the family to come back to national politics because maybe they felt that Bongbong as senator was not enough. It was not enough to leave a lasting impression,” said University of the Philippines political science department head Ela Atienza.

“Like most political families with national ambitions, it’s important for them to also get national prominence and being part of the Senate is an important platform for them,” Atienza added.

Marcos’ Senate bid saw rough sailing, with her family’s ill-gotten wealth and the dark days of her father’s dictatorship hounding her on the campaign trail.

In November, Marcos' mother, former first lady Imelda, was convicted of 7 counts of graft for using her Cabinet position during her husband's regime to maintain Swiss bank accounts.

• Imelda Marcos found guilty of graft, faces arrest

She has evaded arrest, posting bail while the case is on appeal.

As if the weight of being a Marcos was not enough, the governor also got embroiled in a controversy over her educational background in the run-up to the elections.

Marcos claims to have graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Law and Princeton University, but university officials have denied that the governor earned degrees from the two prestigious institutions. With a report by Dharel Placido, ABS-CBN News

• Imee Marcos did not graduate, no honors, from UP Diliman, says UP exec
• No Princeton degree awarded to Imee Marcos, says report quoting school official