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by Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- The two U.S. candidates for vice president will square off Wednesday night on the debate stage, and the contest is expected to be far less of a knock-down, drag-out fight than the last one, experts said.

Sparks flew last month when U.S. President Donald Trump faced off against challenger Joe Biden. The president constantly interrupted Biden and the challenger told Trump to "shut up" and called him a "clown." The debate grabbed nationwide headlines for being perhaps the most chaotic in recent memory.

But now, the VP debate is expected to be far more civil and fact-based than the professional wrestling match the nation viewed last month, with Mike Pence facing off against Kamala Harris.

What's more, the debate will take on even more importance, as it remains unclear whether Trump will participate in the next one, as he was hospitalized after contracting coronavirus earlier this week.

"The Vice President debate will be more substantive as each candidate is knowledgeable about policy and will seek to draw contrasts between the two parties," Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

"Harris will emphasize the administration's (perceived) poor handling of COVID while Pence will say Democrats have moved too far to the left," West said.

Clay Ramsay, a senior research associate at the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, told Xinhua, "I think both Pence and Harris will be courteous -- neither would benefit from anything less -- and that this will contrast sharply with the tone of the Trump-Biden debate."

Ramsay said for some time now the game has been about whether coronavirus is the overarching issue in the campaign, or just another item on a list. The Democrats need voters to take the first view, and Republicans need them to take the second.

Now that Trump and various high-profile Republicans are ill, Harris must not overplay her hand, Ramsay said. Pence needs to remind viewers of his own personal behavior on the virus, which has been fairly prudent. He has to be subtle about this so it does not imply criticism of Trump, Ramsay said.

The Pence-Harris debate will be moderated by Susan Page, who is the USA Today Washington Bureau chief.

The debate will be split into nine parts and each candidate will have two minutes to answer questions in each segment.

STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES

West said Harris is a skilled debater while Pence has lots of knowledge based on his position within the administration.

Ramsay said Pence's early professional background was in radio, and he is able to keep up an unshakable front as a performer.

"I have never seen him visibly rattled on television," Ramsay said, adding that Harris was a prosecutor who held the highest legal office in her state, and that she can make a clear, systematic argument.

"She can also give an emotional speech that arouses sympathy. I expect both of them to be better debaters than Trump or Biden, and I think they know this and will want to show it," Ramsay said.

PENCE'S 2016 DEBATE

Christopher Galdieri, assistant professor at Saint Anselm College, noted that Pence won the VP debate in 2016, as his opponent came on too strong and Pence was able to brush off most of his attacks pretty easily.

The question will be if he can do the same after almost four years of the Trump administration and amidst the chaos of 2020, Galdieri told Xinhua.

Galdieri said Harris will likely try to build a case against four more years of Trump and Pence.

"But I also would be surprised to see her be very aggressive," Galdieri said.

"The fact of the matter is that Biden has a sizable lead right now and I expect the campaign to play things pretty conservatively when it comes to high-profile events," Galdieri said. Enditem