Tiffany Boozer, a certified public accountant who argues South Carolina's chief accounting office should be led by a credentialed accountant, is running for comptroller general as a Democrat. She faces Republican Mike Burkhold in the Nov. 3 general election.

Boozer works as quality assurance manager at the South Carolina Comptroller General's Office. She entered the race on the final day of filing after colleagues inside the office encouraged her to run, according to the Columbia Urban Business Network. She won the Democratic primary on June 9, defeating fellow CPA Bruce Cole, the Network reported.

Boozer is part of the "New SC Slate," an all-Black Democratic statewide ticket that includes gubernatorial nominee Jermaine Johnson, secretary of state nominee Jason Belton and superintendent of education nominee Sylvia Wright, according to the same report.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Office sought: South Carolina comptroller general
  • Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
  • Hometown: Born in Clinton, South Carolina. Her family moved to Columbia, where she graduated from Lower Richland High School.
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in accounting from Limestone University (2012); master's degree in accounting from University of Phoenix (2015)
  • Credentials: Certified public accountant

Experience and public service

Boozer's career spans both public and private-sector accounting, according to her campaign website and BallotReady profile data:

  • Tax specialist at PricewaterhouseCoopers (2015)
  • External auditor at South Carolina Department of Administration (2016–2017)
  • Internal auditor at South Carolina Department of Public Safety (2017–2020)
  • Inventory analyst at EY (2021)
  • Audit senior at Bauknight Pietras & Stormer, P.A. (2021–2024)
  • Internal audit manager at South Carolina Department of Public Health (2024)
  • Quality assurance manager at South Carolina Comptroller General's Office (2025–present)

Boozer was originally a nursing student before switching to accounting after an academic advisor encouraged her to reconsider her major based on her affinity for math, the Columbia Urban Business Network reported. She said she became a mother at 18 during her freshman year of college, transferred schools, worked full-time and finished her accounting degree while raising her daughter.

On the issues

Professional qualifications for the office: Boozer has argued that the comptroller general should hold a CPA credential because the office oversees the state's books, according to her campaign website. She has said no billion-dollar company would hire someone without accounting credentials for that role.

Structure of the office: Boozer has said the comptroller general position should be appointed rather than elected, or at minimum made nonpartisan, because it is a technical professional role rather than a political one.

Financial oversight: On her BallotReady questionnaire, Boozer said she would focus on reducing errors and strengthening the reliability of financial reports, ensuring state financials follow generally accepted accounting principles and state requirements, and identifying issues early to support audit-ready records.

Editor's note: Boozer did not respond to the Fort Mill-Tega Cay Times questionnaire. The positions above are drawn from her campaign website and public candidate responses.