The most annoying part about covering politics is the constant tea-leaf reading. The compulsive need to forecast the future. The willingness to dissect every aspect of a candidate or politician's speech, mannerisms, public calendar, or even wardrobe for meaning. It's tiresome, and also, we can't stop.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is handing us a whole lot to prognosticate about.

Tuesday night, Whitmer delivered the Democratic response to President Donald Trump's third State of the Union address. And if you're the kind of person who wonders about this stuff, you've got to wonder what comes next, for Whitmer and for the Democratic Party, in the election year ahead.

This turn in the national spotlight for Michigan's second female governor could mean a lot. Or, you know, not.

Whitmer wouldn't have been the first elected official to grab the wrong sort of attention on this stage Former Republican Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal used this opportunity to scotch his chances at higher office. There are still GIFs of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., drinking water, and I can't remember the name of the guy who had put on too much Chapstick. But Whitmer's not those guys, and she's pretty good at this stuff.

Read the full text:Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's response to Trump State of the Union

That her party's leadership tapped Whitmer to deliver the response is a clear indication of where institutional support will land in the 2020 presidential contest. Whitmer, who is personally progressive, mounted a successful moderate 2018 gubernatorial campaign, focusing on what she calls "dinner-table issues": fixing schools and the damn roads and other stuff we ought to be able to agree on. (Ought to — Whitmer's good intentions, of course, ran aground on the inflexibility of legislative Republicans.) That same sort of pragmatic messaging, paired with a defense of the Affordable Care Act, won Democrats seats in swing districts or states around the country in 2018.

That's the kind of response Whitmer offered Tuesday night: A rebuttal of Trump's divisiveness, a nod to the partisan flashpoint of impeachment, and a quick return to the middle ground. A rundown of the accomplishments of her Democratic colleagues around the country. A call to action for her Republican counterparts. Whitmer's rebuttal was cool, pragmatic and gracious, an inclusive, forward-looking message.

Whitmer's focus on Michigan's pragmatic needs is why she was chosen, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said last month.

Conventional wisdom suggests that Whitmer's delivery of the response means she's on the national radar in a big way. (Of course, the same was said of Whitmer's predecessor, and Whitmer's predecessor's predecessor ...) But it's not hard to imagine that Whitmer is turning up in vice-presidential conversations.

For a presidential candidate who hopes to make inroads with female voters, or in the Midwest (in other words, any Democrat who wants to win) Whitmer makes a lot of sense.

But I hope she stays put.

Road funding:Republicans bash Whitmer's new plan as short-term fix to long-term problem

Whitmer is still working on her campaign promises (the aforementioned roads and schools). She has correctly identified the condition of our roads and schools as existential crises for the state. At this year's State of the State Address, she added preserving and expanding health care coverage for Michigan's most vulnerable residents to the list.

Michigan is headed for redistricting after this year's U.S. Census, and reapportionment of our gerrymandered legislative districts may yield a state Legislature that's not locked into GOP control. Whether she's able to make meaningful progress on her agenda will play some role in determining whether she wins a second term in in the 2022 election. To take an extended leave this early in her tenure would hobble her ability to get anything done, and Michigan voters would be right to question the priorities of any governor prepared to jump ship so early.

I've no doubt Whitmer has made these calculations herself.

And probably this one as well: Whitmer is one of nine sitting female governors. She's good at retail politics. She's a woman with elected executive experience. A vice-presidential nod would be a signal honor, and a big job. But if she fixes the damn roads, she might have a shot at a bigger job.

Nancy Kaffer is a Free Press columnist. Contact: nkaffer@freepress.com.