Democratic candidates running for mayor are preparing to confront former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the upcoming debate. Their strategy is to garner more attention for themselves by focusing on the leading candidate.

However, the challenge for the lesser-known Democrats in the competitive race will be to criticize the former governor without alienating the voters, according to experts interviewed by The Post.

“If people go out there and fire away at the frontrunner, it will turn people off,” said political strategist and lobbyist Yvette Buckner.

“They have to find something that sticks, that people will remember them by.”

During the initial mayoral debate, which is set to be broadcast live on WNBC and Politico at 7 p.m., Cuomo will face off with the eight other contenders seeking the party’s endorsement for the position.

Cuomo, who had locked up his frontrunner status even before he formally joined the race March 2, is set to be in candidates’ crosshairs after his monthslong “Rose Garden campaign” shying away from public grilling.

Political operatives said the bar is set quite low for Cuomo, with the ex-gov just needing to calmly bat away or counter the attacks and he’ll come out on top.

But all eyes will be on the surging socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani to see if the can keep his momentum going.

The relatively unknown state Assemblyman from Queens jumped from single digits to a close second place in the polls, behind Cuomo.

The rest of the hopefuls — City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Comptroller Brad Lander, ex-Comptroller Scott Stringer, the Rev. Michael Blake, former hedge funder Whitney Tilson, and state Sens. Zellnor Myrie and Jessica Ramos — will have to capitalize on their time on stage to make a mark with voters.

“This is the time where the most eyes are going to be on the candidates,” Buckner said of the exposure the debate will grant the pack of candidates.

“People are going to be looking for the candidates who have bold, thoughtful ideas that are distilled into bite-sized pitches that people can digest.”

The debate will not include incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who will be running as an independent in the general election in November.

A second debate is set for June 12 that will feature the top polling Democrats, leaving Ramos and Blake off the dais.

The primary is set for June 24, with early voting on June 14-22.