Helen Qiu

Helen Qiu is the Republican candidate for Assembly District 65 in Lower Manhattan. She has worked as an engineer and engineering manager, a pastor and a teacher, and is an adjunct professor at Manhattan College according to her campaign website. She has run for office in the area several times since 2022 and is campaigning on public safety, changes to bail law, and opposing what she calls government overreach.[1][2]

According to her campaign website, Qiu is a naturalized U.S. citizen, since 2004, who came to New York from China.[2] She earned a bachelor's degree from Zhongshan University in 1990, a graduate degree from Reformed Seminary in 2007, and a graduate degree from Columbia University in 2010.[1] Her career has included work as a pastor, teacher, engineer and engineering manager; her campaign website describes a career spanning Silicon Valley engineering to pastoring and says she managed multimillion-dollar technology projects.[1][2] The website refers to Mamre Christian Church as her church and says she is an adjunct professor at Manhattan College.[2]

Ballotpedia lists Qiu as affiliated with the New York City Education Council, and her campaign website says she was Vice President of the Community Education Council from 2021 to 2023.[1][2] She ran for this Assembly seat in 2022 as the Republican nominee and lost to Grace Lee, 76% to 23.7%.[1] She then ran for New York City Council District 1 against incumbent Christopher Marte in 2023, receiving 30.9%, and again in 2025, losing 71.6% to 28%.[1] She advanced as the Republican candidate for the open Assembly seat in 2026 after the Republican primary was canceled.[1]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.