Minnesota Democrats on Saturday snubbed the state’s attorney general, a longtime incumbent running for re-election, in favor of a political newbie running to her left.

Lori Swanson, who has been the purple state’s top law enforcement official since 2006, has been eyed recently by national Democrats as a potential rising star. When Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., was mulling over his resignation in late 2017, her name was floated frequently as a possible replacement. (Lt. Gov. Tina Smith was ultimately named Franken’s successor in the Senate.)

Heading into the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s endorsement convention in Rochester, Minnesota, on Saturday, nearly all political operatives expected Swanson to score a landslide victory. But in an unexpected turn of events, just 52 percent of convention delegates voted to back her for re-election in the first round of voting, and she fell short of the 60 percent needed to win the endorsement. Swanson’s little-known opponent, Matt Pelikan, a 36-year-old first-time candidate with hardly any legal experience, secured 47 percent of the vote.

Rather than try to court progressive delegates ahead of a second round of voting, Swanson quickly dropped out of the convention process altogether. She may still go on to the August 14 primary without the DFL’s endorsement, but offered no hints on Saturday as to what she will do. Her silence led some attendees to speculate that she might even abandon her re-election bid and run for governor. (The filing deadline for the gubernatorial race is June 5.)

After Swanson dropped out of the convention, the party endorsed Pelikan — the only Democrat left in the race — for attorney general. Speaking at the convention, Pelikan said he is running for office “because now is the time when we need strong and progressive leaders.” His top three issues, he told the crowd, are gun control, reining in the pharmaceutical industry, and antitrust enforcement.