RALEIGH — Republican Brad Briner won the race for North Carolina State Treasurer over Democrat Wesley Harris.
Two-term incumbent Treasurer Dale Folwell did not seek reelection, opting instead to make an unsuccessful bid for governor. Folwell lost in the March 5 Republican primary to Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.
Briner advanced to the general election after defeating Rachel Johnson and A.J. Daoud by bringing in almost 40% of the vote.
The 47-year-old Briner is currently retired but has 25 years of experience in investment management for big names like Bloomberg Philanthropies and the University of North Carolina System. Briner worked for Willet Advisors and is known for having been the chief information officer for Michael Bloomberg.
Briner holds a bachelor’s degree from UNC Chapel Hill and was a Morehead Scholar. He also holds an MBA from Harvard.
Briner had been an adviser to the state treasurer’s office for more than 10 years as part of his service on the Debt Affordability Advisory Committee. Briner currently serves on the UNC Chapel Hill Board of Trustees and is on the Board of Trustees for Phillips Exeter Academy as well as serving as chair of the academy’s investment committee.
Briner, along with his wife and four children, lives in Chapel Hill.
The 38-year-old Harris is a statehouse representative for Mecklenburg County. He described himself a private economic consultant. Additionally, he has worked as an investment manager and was a board member of UNC Chapel Hill.
Before being elected to the General Assembly in 2018, Harris taught economics at three schools: Clemson University, the University of South Carolina, and UNC Charlotte.
Harris holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from UNC Chapel Hill and a doctorate in economics from Clemson.
