Tuesday is debate night in New York City and New Jersey. In the New York City mayor’s race, incumbent Democrat Bill de Blasio will go face off against Republican Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis and independent candidate Bo Dietl. Across the river, in the New Jersey governor’s race, Democratic nominee Phil Murphy takes on the state's current Republican lieutenant governor, Kim Guadagno.

New York City Mayoral Debate

1. Is Nicole Malliotakis ready for prime time?

Just last week, Malliotakis had a huge opportunity when she was invited to speak to a room full of the city's business leaders at a breakfast hosted by the Association for a Better New York. These events are typically where candidates unveil major policy ideas. (It was at an ABNY event four years ago when mayoral long-shot Bill de Blasio unveiled his vision for universal pre-kindergarten.) Faced with a chance to define herself as someone other than the anti-de Blasio, Malliotakis came up short. Time is running out for her to break through to a wider audience. She needs to do more than serve up gimmicks; she needs to offer some real policy alternatives for people to get behind.

2. Does Bo Dietl bring more than just “Big Bird” insults?
A former NYPD detective and businessman, Bo Dietl often campaigns as if he’s doing open mic at a Midtown comedy club. He can be crude, inappropriate and sometimes downright offensive. Among his favorite jibes: to call Mayor de Blasio “Big Bird.” Dietl is running on his own party line called “Dump de Blasio” after making a mistake with his own voter registration. (The similarly named "Stop de Blasio" line was already claimed by Malliotakis.) He’s always ready with one a snappy one-liner, which should keep the debate lively. But public policy takes deliberation and careful thinking. If he wants to be a serious contender, he’ll need to show he’s thought about why voters should vote for him.

3. Does Mayor de Blasio sit back or swing away?
What to do when you’re sitting in the catbird seat with two challengers just praying you’ll make one false move? De Blasio is leading Malliotakis by more than 40 percentage points according to two polls released last week; his margin over Dietl is more than 50 points. What's more, de Blasio is in better debating-shape than his challengers: he faced-off against Democratic rival Sal Albanese twice during primary season and struck an aggressive tone that at times bordered on dismissive. In tonight’s bout, expect the mayor to compare (and compare and compare) his two challengers to President Donald Trump. Only if Malliotakis and Dietl tear into each other will he hold back on the sucker punches.

New Jersey Gubernatorial Debate

Democrat Phil Murphy and Republican Kim Guadagno

(WNYC Data News Team)

1. Can Guadagno get away from her resume?

A good drinking game would be to take a swig every time Democrat Murphy mentions Christie or Trump as if they were Republican Guadagno's compadres. Meanwhile, Guadagno will be trying to utter their names as little as possible. As Christie's second-in-command for eight years, Guadagno is hamstrung by her connection to the most unpopular governor in the country. Likewise, the Republican president’s support in New Jersey is very low.  

2. Can Murphy get away from his party's past?

Chris Christie won’t be the only comparison made to previous governors. Expect to hear Guadagno bring up the state's last Democratic governor, Jon Corzine, who, like Murphy, also previously worked at Goldman Sachs. She might even mention another Democrat, Jim Florio, who was voted out of the governor's mansion after one term because he raised taxes. Murphy is being honest about the need to raise taxes. While it shows integrity, it may cause problems for him politically.

3. Can both candidates get specific without getting wonky?

How will the candidates deal with the crushing state pension debt? What will they do to fix the way New Jersey funds its schools, which is a burden on most suburban taxpayers? And how can Guadagno’s proposed audit of Trenton possibly find enough money to get the New Jersey budget on track? 

Listen to both debates tonight on WNYC (AM 820/93.9 FM). The New York City mayoral face-off will begin at 7 p.m.; the New Jersey gubernatorial debate will be broadcast on tape delay at 9 p.m.