The VP debates typically receive less attention than the several allocated for the presidential nominees. However, with the health of both candidates very much in question, this one could draw more attention than usual. Moreover, Sen. Harris’ ties to the radical left—coupled with the Trump campaign’s fixation on linking the Biden campaign to it—may provide an opening that the incumbent desperately needs.

In the first debate, Joe Biden consistently brushed off President Trump’s attempts to tie him to the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. At one point, he even flat-out said, “I am the Democratic Party right now” and “The platform of the Democratic Party is what I approved of.” While “Amtrak Joe” may have successfully managed to make this defense, it’s unclear whether Sen. Harris—whose Senate voting record is to the left of Bernie Sanders—will or can go there. Vice President Pence must focus on her radicalism and the possibility of a Harris-Biden administration.

There are plenty of avenues for the vice president to take. For example, at the September 29 debate, Biden denounced the Green New Deal. It’s surprising that the media allowed him to stay at arm’s length from this job-killing legislation given that his campaign website states the Green New Deal “is a crucial framework for meeting the climate challenges we face.” Will Harris—who co-sponsored it and other bills to advance its framework—manage to sufficiently distance herself from it? What, if anything, can she say to keep the ticket from alienating blue-collar swing voters in states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin?

How about health care? When he took the stage, Biden assured voters that the American people would keep their private insurance under his administration. Yet, during the Democratic presidential debates, Sen. Harris was one of only two candidates to raise a hand when asked if she would abolish it. Highlighting this fact could fuel the Trump campaign’s argument that the public option Biden has endorsed would pave the way for single-payer health care.

Seemingly out of fear of alienating the suburbs, Biden made clear that he supports “law and order with justice.” However, Harris has gone so far as to encourage the American people to support organizations that have bailed out violent criminals. Raising this point could be politically damaging to the Democratic ticket, especially given that Biden himself refused to condemn Antifa when moderator Chris Wallace gave him the opportunity.

At the first presidential debate, Biden danced away from the possible economic impact of his over $4 trillion in proposed tax increases, suggesting that they would only affect the wealthy. But beyond supporting expensive legislative proposals that analysts predict would balloon taxes for everyone, Sen. Harris has also proposed several new measures that would affect Americans of all income levels, including a financial transactions tax and a new carbon fee.

Vice President Pence articulating the California senator’s history of working with her far-left colleagues, including Sens. Sanders and Warren, on major regulatory proposals could further undercut the argument that a Biden presidency wouldn’t rock the boat on economic growth.

From breaking up “big banks,” to implementing the long-sought wealth tax that even much of socialist Europe has moved away from, to imposing unnecessary government influence over the already heavily regulated credit rating agencies whose independent assessments help investors across the economic spectrum, it’s all on the table. All of this would be bad for investors, for workers’ 401ks and for the economy as a whole, but it’s what the Harris wing of the Democratic Party has proposed.

By selecting Harris for the ticket, Biden signaled that he believed her political advantages would outweigh the electoral baggage that comes with her being a standard-bearer of his party’s progressive wing. Time will tell if his strategy is a winning one; however, how Vice President Pence elects to handle it all on Wednesday night, and the public’s response, will be a crucial determinant.

Rick Santorum, the president of Patriot Voices, served as a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007.

The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.