LANSING (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s quick ascension to the national stage — and onto Joe Biden’s list of potential running mates — has left Democrats excited about what her future may hold and thankful that she will continue to lead Michigan.

Two years ago, Whitmer was on her way to a resounding victory in the battleground state. A year ago, she was struggling to get legislative traction for her signature campaign promise of fixing the roads.

But in the past six months, Whitmer has delivered the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, confronted the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and been vetted as Joe Biden’s running mate. He announced Kamala Harris as his pick on Tuesday. Whitmer’s profile rose yet more during a flurry of TV appearances in the spring in which she criticized the federal response to the COVID-19 outbreak, leading Trump to dismiss her as “the woman in Michigan.”

“It’s really been a meteoric rise in less than two years,” said Jill Alper, a Michigan-based Democratic strategist.

Though Republicans have accused Whitmer of auditioning to be the running mate during a pandemic, Alper said she has “only wanted to be the governor of Michigan. That has been her focus. That’s what she’ll stay focused on. But her future is definitely bright because this process has shone the light on her.”

The 48-year-old Whitmer, a former legislative leader and interim county prosecutor, is up for reelection in 2022. Her job approval rating, once under water, has risen during the coronavirus crisis despite the restrictions she has ordered to curb the virus.