((KUTV) President Obama and Mitt Romney will take the stage for the second of three Presidential debates Tuesday night.

Mitt Romney’s performance in the first debate helped him surge in the pools. And this time, President Obama is promising a more spirited role.

The stage is set at Hofstra University for Tuesday’s debate.

The town hall style format will feature 80 randomly selected voters in the audience. All of them will have questions prepared – but only 11 will get to ask them. 

Mitt Romney is coming off what many consider a win in the first debate. He spent Monday in Boston working with Ohio Senator Rob Portman who has been playing President Obama in debate preps.

President Obama spent the day at a resort in Williamsburg, Virginia. He’s promised to be more aggressive in refuting Romney’s claims, but political analysts warn that because voters will be asking the questions – being too aggressive could be seen as a negative.

“It’s very difficult format to prepare for because what people are going to remember most is how you treated their neighbor,” said Larry Levy of Hofstra University.

Despite the town hall format, the moderator for tonight’s debate has promised to take an active role – and that has both campaigns concerned.

CNN Candy Crowley says she plans to ask follow up questions if the candidates failed to answer the original question or if there needs to be a clarification.

But when the campaigns agreed to the debate, they came to a mutual agreement that the moderator ask new questions or raise new topics. Both campaigns voiced concerns about Crowley’s plans to the Chairman
of the Commission on Presidential Debates who says Crowley is not bound by any agreements reached between the campaigns.

(Copyright 2012 Sinclair Broadcasting Group.) Stage Set For Second Presidential Debate