Zohran Mamdani to face barrage of attacks from Andrew Cuomo as NYC mayoral debate gives pols final shot to gain ground

Andrew Cuomo is set to unleash a barrage of attacks at Zohran Mamdani during the first mayoral debate of the New York City general election Thursday — as the political veteran tries to catch up to the front-runner.

The former governor will likely try to jump-start his struggling, second-place campaign by pouncing on the far-left Democratic nominee, including over his pro-prostitution stance and his controversial photo posing with an anti-LBGTQ Uganda official, pundits said.

“Cuomo will be working feverishly to throw Mamdani off balance and expose him as the radical he says he is,” said Andrew Kirtzman, managing director of the consulting firm Actum.

“But I have yet to see Mamdani get tripped up on anything significant this campaign – he’s phenomenally fast on his feet.”

But Cuomo, the thrice-elected Democratic governor who resigned in 2021 while facing various scandals, will have to walk a political tightrope.

In order to win over still-undecided voters and turn around his political comeback bid, Cuomo will need to balance launching his offensive while not coming off as an arrogant blowhard, experts said.

Mamdani, a Queens lawmaker first elected to the state Assembly in 2020, will appear on the dais at the iconic 30 Rockefeller Center studios in a much different position than during the Democratic primary debates when he was a relative unknown.

Since he shockingly won the nomination in June, trouncing lifelong politician Cuomo, the proud socialist has surged in the polls, maintaining a healthy double-digit lead over the other candidates.

But he hasn’t cracked 50% of support of New Yorkers in any survey — as Cuomo, now running as an independent, saw an injection of backers since Mayor Eric Adams finally abandoned his longshot re-election bid late last month.

One political insider said the ex-gov needs to find a new hit that resonates with voters, adding hey expect Cuomo to hone in on the controversial July photo of Mamdani with Rebecca Kadaga, who pushed a draconian law while in office in Uganda that allowed for severe penalties against gay people in the country

Cuomo and Mamdani will be sharing the stage with the beret-wearing GOP firebrand Curtis Sliwa — whose years of on-air experience as a radio host will set up plenty of pithy zingers.

A potential unusual alliance between Cuomo and the Republican nominee could rattle Mamdani, politicos opined.

“Something to watch for is can Curtis and Cuomo coordinate — intentionally or unintentionally — and put Mamdani on his back feet,” the insider said.

“Curtis is a good debater, and he’s got some good one-liners,” they added. “But if it’s just a slugfest between the three, it’s not going to move the needle.”

Other pundits also said they believe the political sparring will do little to change voters’ minds — but that the debate will make for some good TV.

“Candidate impressions are set. So the debates probably won’t move the polls,” said longtime Democratic strategist Ken Frydman.

“But they will be good political theater,” Frydman said. “Cuomo will jab Mamdani, the socialist, Israel-hater, who’s old friends with an anti-gay politician in Uganda. Mamdani will counterpunch with Cuomo’s COVID failure and sexual harassment allegations.”

Viewers should note, NBC will carry only the first hour on cable before switching over to a three-hour block of “Law & Order” at 8 p.m.

To continue watching the debate between the candidates vying to run the largest city in the country, New Yorkers will have to shift over to a digital stream.

When and where is the debate taking place?

The debate will start at 7 p.m. Thursday and will be hosted at 30 Rockefeller Center studios.

It is hosted by NBC 4 New York/WNBC, Telemundo 47/WNJU and POLITICO New York.

How to watch the debate:

The first hour of the debate will be broadcast on cable on NBC and Telemundo. At 8 p.m., it will air on NBC’s digital streaming service only. Poltico and the Campaign Finance Board will also stream the full debate.

Who is participating?

Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani

Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa

Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo

Will there be another debate?

Yes. There will be a second debate next Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. on NY1.

Will there be an audience?

No. NBC will not have a studio audience or any journalists in the crowd, similar to how it structured the debate during the primary.

What do the polls say?

The most recent survey had Mamdani in first with 46%, Cuomo in second with 33% and Sliwa in third with 15%. Roughly 14% of voters remain undecided, according the Quinnipiac University poll released last week.