He ran in his first national level election in 1957 under the
Nacionalista Party banner, shortly after the death of his elder brother, President
Ramon Magsaysay. Genaro Magsaysay served in the
House of Representatives, representing
Zambales Lone District until 1959, when he contested his first Senate election. He won reelection to the
Senate in 1965 and served a second six-year term. In 1969,
Sergio Osmeña Jr. and Genaro Magsaysay formed the
Liberal Party presidential ticket, losing to incumbent
Ferdinand Marcos. Afterwards, Magsaysay represented the Liberal Party in the Senate from 1971 to 1972. During his 1971 senatorial campaign, Magsaysay was injured by two grenade explosions while attending a political rally in Manila, as were fellow politicians
Ramon Bagatsing,
Eva Estrada Kalaw,
Eddie Ilarde,
Ramon Mitra Jr., and
John Henry Osmeña. Over the course of his legislative career, Magsaysay was active in infrastructure and social service initiatives. == Personal life ==