Brian J. Gaines

Brian Jerome Gaines (born 1981/1982) 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. He is South Carolina's first black constitutional officer since the Reconstruction era. 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. Gaines's appointment prevented a constitutional crisis; since the office was vacant, no person could authorize the distribution of funds.