Brian J. Gaines

Brian Gaines
39th Comptroller General of South Carolina
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 12, 2023
GovernorHenry McMaster
Preceded byRichard Eckstrom
Personal details
Born
Brian Jerome Gaines

1981 or 1982 (age 42–43)
Barnwell, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of South Carolina (BA, MPA)

Brian Jerome Gaines (born 1981/1982)[1] is an American civil servant and politician who currently serves as the Comptroller General of South Carolina. He was appointed by Republican Governor Henry McMaster on May 12, 2023, by recess appointment, following the resignation of Richard Eckstrom.[2][3] He is South Carolina's first black constitutional officer since the Reconstruction era.[4] Election records show that Gaines is a member of the Democratic Party, making him the first Democrat to hold statewide office in South Carolina since Yancey McGill left the lieutenant governor's office in 2015.[5] Gaines's appointment prevented a constitutional crisis; since the office was vacant, no person could authorize the distribution of funds.[6][7]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference ABC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ McMaster, Henry. "Executive Order No. 2023-12" (PDF). governor.sc.gov. Governor of South Carolina. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  3. ^ Pollard, James. "New top accountant Brian Gaines named in South Carolina after $3.5B error". www.wspa.com. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  4. ^ Adcox, Seanna. "McMaster calls SC Legislature back to work, makes history with pick for chief accountant". The Post and Courier. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  5. ^ Folks, Will. "South Carolina Democrats Finally 'Win' A Statewide Office". FITSNews. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  6. ^ Folks, Will. "South Carolina's Comptroller 'Spitball Fight' Creating Constitutional Crisis". www.fitsnews.com. FITS News. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  7. ^ Henry, Zoie. "Who decides on the next person to fill the role of Comptroller General?". www.wltx.com. WLTX. Retrieved 30 May 2023.