The second debate of the gubernatorial campaign will happen tomorrow in Fairfax County. It’s really the first debate of the general election campaign and should receive a fair amount of coverage.

So, what should you be looking for? Here’s what I’m interested in seeing:

1) How much of the debate will focus on Bob McDonnell’s controversial graduate thesis. To this point, McDonnell hasn’t had to answer very many questions on this topic with a TV camera in his face. And, it will be the first time he’s addressed it in a debate setting.

2) How aggressive will Creigh Deeds be? He’s behind in the polls and needs to jumpstart his campaign. Will he have a game-changer moment?

3) Will both candidates continue to nationalize the race with Deeds tying McDonnell to George Bush and McDonnell tying Deeds to Obama, Pelosi, and Kaine?

4) How many times will Creigh Deeds say Mark Warner?

5) How many times will Bob McDonnell say bipartisan?

6) What will be the dominate issue? In 2008’s Senate race, each debate had a definite theme (1st debate: offshore drilling/energy, 2nd debate: taxes and trust in governance, and 3rd debate: President Bush’s bailout plan).

7) Who will the audience side with? This debate is sponsored by the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce and is generally filled with business leaders. They were very favorable to Mark Warner last year. Will that carry over to Creigh Deeds or will this traditionally Republican group revert back to form at side with Bob McDonnell?

8) Will Creigh Deeds be on the defense over his transportation plan? He said repeatedly that fixing our roads is one of his top priorities, but to date he hasn’t given a lot of specifics on how he’ll do it. Transportation is likely the BIGGEST issue in Northern Virginia. How will Deeds handle the issue in front of this audience?

9) Will moderator David Gregory of NBC News be as aggressive in his questioning as former moderator Tim Russert was. Russert moderated this debate several times and his questioning of Republican gubernatorial candidate Jerry Kilgore produced the most memorable moment of the 2005 Fairfax debate.

I interviewed Gregory today via satellite and he predicted that there will be some fireworks. I’ll be watching.