OKLAHOMA CITY — In a direct and unusually public rebuke of a sitting statewide Republican, two former Oklahoma state treasurers are lining up behind a primary challenger to Todd Russ just weeks before the election.
As reported by the Lawton Constitution, Republican Ken Miller and Democrat Scott Meacham are backing state Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd and hosted a fundraiser for her Tuesday in Oklahoma City — a rare bipartisan move that amounts to a pointed critique of Russ’ tenure.
Their message is not subtle: both former treasurers say the office under Russ has strayed from its core mission.
Byrd entered the race at the April 3 filing deadline, abandoning a bid for lieutenant governor to challenge Russ in the Republican primary — a late move that has quickly turned into a vehicle for establishment-level pushback.
“My support of Cindy Byrd is professional,” Miller told the Lawton Constitution. “I don’t have anything negative to say about Todd Russ as a person. But I’ve always believed the state treasurer’s job is to invest for safety, liquidity and return — not to advance a political agenda. Taxpayer dollars are green, not red or blue.”
The subtext — and increasingly, the overt message — is that Russ has politicized an office traditionally focused on managing state funds.
Meacham made that criticism explicit.
“When I served as treasurer, my guiding principles were simple: protect the state’s money while earning taxpayers as much as possible,” Meacham said. “I respect Todd Russ personally, but I think we’ve seen him put politics in front of his job of maximizing returns on taxpayer funds. That’s not what the job calls for, and it’s not what taxpayers deserve.”
Taken together, the comments amount to a bipartisan indictment of Russ’ approach from two former officeholders — a dynamic rarely seen in Oklahoma’s dominant-party politics, where incumbents are typically protected, not targeted, in primaries.
Russ did not respond to requests for comment, the Lawton Constitution reported.
Byrd said she is “deeply grateful” for the support and signaled she would return the office to what her backers describe as a more traditional, finance-first role.
“Public service is a responsibility I have always approached with professionalism, integrity, and respect for Oklahoma taxpayers,” Byrd said. “I will focus on protecting taxpayer dollars through sound financial management, transparency, safety, liquidity and strong returns.”
The Republican primary is scheduled for June 16.
👉 Read the original report from the Lawton Constitution.
