The candidates for New York City mayor face off Thursday in their first debate of the general election. Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa are set to take the stage at Rockefeller Center. 

How to watch the NYC mayor debate

The first debate is being hosted by NBC 4 New York and Telemundo, in partnership with POLITICO. It's scheduled to start at 7 p.m. at the 30 Rock studios in Manhattan. 

CBS News New York will have a live blog with real-time reporting on key moments, clashes, questions and statements during the debate, followed by highlights and political analysis.

The second and final debate before Election Day will be held Wednesday, Oct. 22 on NY1. 

Mamdani looking to maintain his lead

The Democratic nominee appears to be the candidate to beat as the current frontrunner in the race. 

"The biggest difference between the primary debates and this first general election debate is that Zohran Mamdani has gone from the underdog candidate to the frontrunner. He's got a double digit polling lead that he's really got to protect here going into this debate," POLITICO reporter Nick Reisman explains.

"At the minimum, what he's got to do is kind of play prevent defense. He's up by two touchdowns at this point and, obviously, he wants to win next month," said Reisman. "So at minimum, he's got to go in and have a mistake-free evening against former Go. Andrew Cuomo, who is his primary opponent at this point."

Pressure from President Trump

President Trump has been a vocal critic of Mamdani, repeatedly threatening to withhold federal funding if he is elected mayor. Reisman says the pressure from the president might actually help Mamdani's campaign. 

"One thing to keep in mind is that Donald Trump is deeply unpopular in his hometown, even though he has, perhaps, made some gains in 2024 compared to when he ran in 2016 and 2020. It's important to note that the more Trump is seen as attacking Zohran Mamdani, the more that will likely drive up support among Democrats for Mamdani, even among Democrats who may have their reservations about him for a variety of reasons -- either his stance on Israel or his level of inexperience," Reisman said. "A lot of Democrats tend to detest the president a lot more than they do the Democratic nominee in a deep blue city."  

Cuomo has to capitalize

The former governor's political comeback attempt has drawn a lot of attention, but what message does Cuomo need to deliver in this debate? 

"Cuomo, who is running this independent bid, really has to have some sort of moment to break out of where he's been in polling, which has been running a distant second place behind Mamdani. He's gone from the presumed frontrunner to the underdog in this campaign," said Reisman.

"What he's really kind of struggling with over the last several weeks is how do you run against someone like Zohran Mamdani who has a durable polling advantage? Yes, Mamdani has very high negatives when you look at polling, but he also has a lot of support, and it really has not evaporated during the summer. There really has not been a moment in the general election campaign so far that's really upended this race or been something of a game changer. So what Andrew Cuomo needs to do is find that moment to kind of exploit against Mamdani. But for him, time's really running short," he continued. 

"You're going to have to come out pretty aggressively and swing pretty aggressively here. But at the same time, it's worth noting, that if Cuomo is a little too aggressive, if he comes across as a little too gruff or scolding -- as he, quite frankly, has during much of the primary, kind of that doom and gloom messaging that we saw through much of the year -- it didn't really work with Democratic primary voters. 

"Now, there's a whole segment of the population in New York City that has not voted yet. They have not been heard, because it's a closed party primary. So there will be some voters who are receptive to an aggressive approach against Mamdani, who again, is quite polarizing for New York City voters. It is just a matter of how Andrew Cuomo can kind of thread that needle by saying Zohran Mamdani is not right for the city, he's too inexperienced, and then he's got to pivot to and here is the solution that I offer."

Could an endorsement from Mayor Adams help Cuomo?

Sources tell CBS News New York incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who has suspended his bid for reelection, is considering endorsing Cuomo in the election. 

"On the one hand, Mayor Adams and Andrew Cuomo share an overlapping base of voters of color, working class voters [who] tend to live in the outer boroughs. That is an important segment of the voting public that Andrew Cuomo needs if he wants to be successful in November," Reisman said. "All of that said, Mayor Adams was polling in the single digits before he dropped out of the race, so it's not entirely clear just how much pull he would really have. 

"Also, it's important to keep in mind, he's going to still be on the ballot in November, as well, so some people may, by accident, cast their vote for Mayor Adams, and that could still be significant if the race turns out to be quite close."

Sliwa needs to show he's a serious contender

Despite calls to drop out and make it a two-man race, the Republican has said he's sticking around. So how can he make an impact and muddy the waters? 

"Curtis Sliwa has to find a way to ensure that he is not going to be losing more Republican votes to Andrew Cuomo. Obviously, Cuomo is going to need to stitch together some sort of coalition of moderate Democrats, independents and even some Republicans in New York City if he wants to win in November," Reisman said.

"Sliwa is really going to have to try to find a way to break through beyond the public safety messaging that he has had throughout this campaign," he added. "Obviously, he's a longtime fixture in New York City politics, kind of seen as this eccentric character, but he wants to be taken seriously. Can he have a night where he is taken seriously as a real candidate with a potential of winning, even though he's a Republican?"

Early voting for the New York City mayoral election starts on Saturday, Oct. 25. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4.