The race for New York City’s next mayor reaches a key moment tonight (Thursday, October 16) as the three candidates — Democrat Zohran Mamdani, Independent Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa — take the stage for the first mayoral general election debate.

Where and when to watch

The New York City Mayoral election debate begins at 7 p.m. ET and will be held at NBC 4 New York’s studios inside 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

There will be no studio audience.

Who’s debating

According to the NYC Campaign Finance Board, the three candidates who qualified for the debate are:

Zohran Mamdani (Democrat) — A 33-year-old state assemblyman and progressive Democrat running on a platform of housing affordability, free public transit, and expanded childcare.

Andrew Cuomo (Independent) — The former N

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