MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president replaced the country’s first female interior secretary Thursday with an experienced politician who may help in the runup to the 2024 elections.

Outgoing Interior Secretary Olga Sánchez Cordero was a former Supreme Court justice who brought a somewhat remote, judicious approach to the department.

The president said her replacement will be Adán López Hernández, who is the current governor of Tabasco, the president’s home state. López Hernández said he will request a leave of absence from the governorship to accept the country’s top domestic and security post.

López Obrador said Thursday the change came about because Sánchez Cordero wanted to return to her previous post in the Senate. But in Mexico’s increasingly politicized atmosphere, there may have been a need for a more earthy political presence in the Interior Department.

In the past in Mexico, the interior secretary has been the president's lead negotiator in domestic political and social disputes.

The post has also traditionally been a launching pad for future presidential candidates. Sánchez Cordero made it clear she has no interest in running for the presidency.