With polls suggesting a tied race, U.S. presidential debate spotlight will be on Harris tonight

For Kamala Harris, tonight'spresidential debate with former U.S. president Donald Trump could bea significant moment of opportunity for the vice-president, but also, perhaps, a significant risk.

"Ido think this is a debate about Kamala Harris more than it's a debateabout Trump," said Alan Schroeder,professor emeritus at Northeastern University's school of journalism, and an expert on presidential debates.

With Trump such a known commodity, the debatethe first and possibly only contest between the two current candidatescould offer Harris the occasion to grow her level of support. On the flip side, she could alienate voters if she does not perform well.

"Trump has been so dominant on the American political stage for the past decade, really," Schroeder said. "And now it's about someone else."

Trump won't have Biden as distraction

That could be an advantage for Harris, saysSchroeder, because therewill be more attention on her. But it also means more pressureand "the absolute need for her to have a successful debate, in order to capitalize onthis momentum."

But for Trump, experts say a poor performance which may includehis habits ofavoiding answering questions, makingfalse statementsand repeatingpersonal attacks he'smade against Harris on the campaign trailcould have more resonance this timewithout the distraction that President Joe Biden'sperformance provided last time.

"Biden was so awful that it actuallyoverwhelmed the fact that Trump did not have a good debate performance either," saidPatrick A. Stewart, a political science professor at the University of Arkansas, and the author ofThe Audience Decides: Applause-Cheering, Laughter, and Booing during Debates in the Trump Era.

WATCH | Tonight's U.S. presidential debate might be the only one:

Stage is set for 1st (and maybe only) Trump, Harris debate

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As the campaigns for Donald Trump and Kamala Harris take aim at their opponents, voters are gearing up for whats expected to be the only presidential debate before Novembers election.

Stewart also believes Trump, who has "never been a policy guy," may also be judged on whether he still has the same vigour he's had in prior debates.

"Is itstill the Trump that we know from back in 2016 and 2020 where he was sharp,was on his game as far as verbally being able to come at people and verbally attack them," he said. "Or will hehave lost a little bit of steam?"

The debate, which is scheduled for Tuesdayat9 p.m. ET, is expected to last 90 minutes and isbeing moderated by ABC Newsanchors David Muir andLinsey Davis, with no studio audience.

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It may not have the same immediate impact as Trump's debate against Biden,whosepoor performance raised questions about his cognitive abilities, andeventually led to him stepping down as the Democratic presidential candidate before being replaced by Harris.

Still, with polls suggesting the race is tied,either candidate's debateperformance could move the needle among those undecided voterswho will be key in determining the outcome of the election.

"I think this will be sort of a big, marquee moment for people to begin to arrive at a decision," Schroeder said.

WATCH | Key moments from the Trump-Biden debate:

Key moments from the Biden-Trump debate

3 months ago

Duration 2:58

U.S. President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump squared off in a debate in Atlanta that aired on CNN. Here are some of the major moments including when Trump took advantage of a verbal fumble from Biden, as well as the current president accusing his predecessor of having 'the morals of an alley cat' regarding his ongoing criminal and civil legal issues.

Harris may focus on Trump policy failures, abortion

For weeks, Harris has reportedly been preparing for this debate, which has included mock debate sessions. She'sexpected to focus on what her team perceives as Trump's policy failures as president, which include the U.S. border wall, infrastructure and the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reported.

She may also focus on abortion and the reversal of Roe v.Wade during Trump's presidency, an issue widely perceivedas a liability for Republicans and Trump, whose U.S.Supreme Court appointments led to the reversal.

RobertRowland,a professor of rhetoric and political communication at the University of Kansas, saysthat along with some policies, predicts Harris will also focus on suggesting Trump isa "scam artist" who "doesn't care about ordinary people."

In Harris, Trump will be facing an opponent known for her discipline, somethingshe's shown on the campaign trail by sticking to the same talking points. A potential weakness for Trump during the debate, some experts say, ishis tendency to engage in rambling, stream of consciousness answers that touch on a variety of subjects something he has recently boasted about and referred to as "the weave."

But Harris herself has been criticized for some of her own ramblinganswers during events, or as noted by the New York Times following her CNN interview, "she can sometimes deliver discursive answers that ramble and zigzag."

Stewart suggestedHarrisis also at a disadvantage in that she hasn't yet had a full vetting and "really hasn't faced any individuals up until this point" in the campaign.

Harris 'can't show any nerves'

While Harris has been involved in other debates, including those in the 2020 Democratic primaries and a vice-presidential debate, this will beher biggestaudience yet. Schroeder points out this debate will be in a different league, and Trump has experienced such debates six times.

"I think inexperience at that level, playing the game at this level, issomething that is really hard to do," he said."I think she can't show any nerves. She can't show any sign of intimidation or fear on that stage."

Harris has also only facedone sit-downinterview since being named a candidate, meaning shewill need to be prepared to faceattacks by Trump, but alsoquestions fromthe debate moderators.

WATCH | Harris andTrump prepare for the upcoming debate:

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris gear up for Sept. 10 debate

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A jam-packed summer in U.S. politics comes to a close as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump officially confirmed their places on the Nov. 5 presidential ballot. Power & Politics does a deep dive into the U.S. election and looks ahead to their Sept. 10 debate.

Those questions will likely include topics such as the Biden administration's recordand accusations of flip-flopping on some key policy initiatives. For example, she has previously indicatedsupport for a ban on fracking and thedecriminalization ofillegal border-crossings, but she and her campaign have said that she no longer holds those views.

"She's going to bechallenged on not only her previous record, but [the] Biden administrationrecord in general," Schroedersaid. "It'll be interesting to seehow she deals with that."

It's that record, Republican operatives have suggested, that Trump needs to focus on, to try torattler her on policy.

"But that's not Trump's strong point," said Stewart.

'Trump's gonna Trump'

Marc Thiessen,aspeechwriterfor former U.S. president George W. Bush, wrote in a column for the Washington Post that Trump needs to take advantage of the fact that many undecided voters don't like the direction of the country.

And Trump needs to remind voters of the policies that were popular during his administration, Thiessen wrote.

He also said Trump needs totie Harris to parts ofBiden's record that remain unpopular, such as the spike in inflation, as well as zeroing in on Harris's flip-flops. He must also avoid reminding voters about why many people don't like him, which would also mean avoiding personal attacks on Harris.

"With one disciplined debate performance, Trump helped knock Biden out of the race. On Tuesday night, he has a chance to do the same to Harris," Thiessen wrote.

WATCH | How both candidates are courting the working class:

How are Trump, Harris courting the U.S. working-class vote? | Canada Tonight

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Thomas Frank, political analyst and historian, talks about how both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are trying to win the working-class vote in the U.S., and how the upcoming Sept. 10 presidential debate could be as consequential as the last.

Yet that suggests some kind of strategy on Trump's partsomething he hasn't appeared to have used in previous debates, according to Schroeder.

"He doesn't really go in with a game plan. He doesn't work on specific lines or specific lines of attack," Schroedersaid. "He doesn't seem to be able to tailor an argument against a particular candidate. It's always just to strafe them with as much ammo as he can."

Rowland saysTrump only has one style, and that since it's not focused on the issues,he's able to use it regardless of the questions.

"The disadvantage is,there's a point where he offends people," he said.

"Most of that is baked in. But I think, withcollege educated women especially, it's going to remind them why they voted against him in the last election."

Trump focusing on specific policies instead of going forthe personal attackwould show a "level of growth," according toStewart, who says he's not expecting that.

"Trump's gonna Trump," Rowland said.

"The one thing that would throw him off his game is if she just maintains an even keel."