A very Andrew Cuomo valentine

Andrew Cuomo sent a very campaign-y valentine to New Yorkers Friday. In a video edited with inspirational violin music, Cuomo addresses a room full of older women, several of whom give him a standing ovation.

“We are New Yorkers and we are New York tough!” Cuomo says into a microphone, with cutaways to clips of him hugging various women at the event, shaking hands and taking photos with them. “We know how to protect you, and we will.” Cuomo is very likely to launch an official campaign for New York City mayor, challenging embattled Mayor Eric Adams in a crowded field. At one point, a woman can be heard yelling to Cuomo, “We miss you!”

This Valentine’s Day let us all take a moment to remember that the strongest 4 letter word is not hate, it’s love ❤️ pic.twitter.com/2lCqZiCFQq

— Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo) February 14, 2025

Though he stars in the video, it wasn’t a Cuomo event. The event was a Valentine’s Day party for seniors at the Johnson Houses Community Center in East Harlem, hosted by Assembly Member Eddie Gibbs. Gibbs invited Cuomo and many other elected officials. Also in attendance were Queens Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar, who is running for public advocate, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, who is running for comptroller and mayoral candidate Michael Blake. Gibbs seems fuzzy on the details of who else was there.

Gibbs told City & State that he has an “open door policy” when it comes to his events, saying that Cuomo’s presence does not amount to endorsement of the former governor (who still hasn’t officially announced whether he’s running for mayor). Gibbs said that he hasn’t had any private conversations with Cuomo about his plans, though he’s open to. “He just asked, can he show up? And I said sure,” Gibbs said. 

Although he’s not making any endorsements, Gibbs had kind words about Cuomo. “I like Andrew a lot, he’s my guy,” he said. Gibbs added that what Cuomo has been doing is “genius” because he’s dominating the mayoral field without even saying anything yet. “I heard one of the seniors ask him, like, ‘Are you running?’ And he didn't answer the question,” Gibbs said.

And the former governor had a warm reception at the Valentine’s Day event, where Gibbs said Cuomo stayed for a while to “work the floor” and eat with the seniors there. “Everybody was excited to see him, standing ovations, women grabbing him,” Gibbs said.

Cuomo resigned as governor in 2021 after the state attorney general found that he sexually harassed multiple women. Cuomo denied wrongdoing and hasn’t been charged with a crime.