Currently serving the residents of Oklahoma’s 55th District, State Representative Todd Russ has set his sights on becoming Oklahoma’s next State Treasurer.
Russ, who lives in Cordell, announced via a press release on Tuesday, June 29 that he would be seeking the Republican nomination for State Treasurer in 2022.
“It would be my honor to continue to serve the citizens of Oklahoma as their next State Treasurer. I hold the same conservative values as the vast majority of Oklahomans,” Russ said in the press release. “I know the value of hard work and the importance of standing for Godly values and honest, ethical leadership.”
As his term limit approaches, Russ said that a position as the state treasurer, a position he had considered running for in the past, seemed like a natural fit.
“The stars lined up perfect for something that fits my experience and my professional career background really well,” Russ said. “I love Oklahoma and I want to be able to give back to the people of Oklahoma and the state of Oklahoma with my personal experiences and serve a little longer.”
Oklahoma’s current State Treasurer Randy McDaniel announced earlier this month that he would not be seeking reelection in 2022.
Russ said being the state treasurer means “ someone has got an enormous amount of true career background experience in finance and banking and knowing how to watch over and take care of the people's money.” One topic he’s taken a specific look at has been the Unclaimed Property fund.
“It seems like that's always been a very unique part of the state treasurer's office that's never really been perfected to be able to get that money back to the people who own it. I’m going to focus on that quite a bit among other things.”
Beginning in 2009, Russ has represented House District 55 which covers parts of Beckham, Greer, Kiowa, Roger Mills, and Washita Counties.
Before this, Russ spent 35 years working in the banking business during which he served as President and CEO of Washita State Bank in Burns Flat from 2003 to 2008. He first began as a banking assistant at the State Bank of Rocky in 1983.
Russ believes that both his experience and the knowledge he has gained from working in the banking business, along with his time as an Oklahoma State Representative, will provide him with an upper hand as he seeks the nomination.
“One of the hardest times that Oklahoma has gone through was mid to late 80s when the oil boom busted. I just happened to be a young business person in banking and watched all of that play out and lived through that,” he said.
“Most of my career was dealing with crises and putting out fires in the financial world… It was a tough time for banking, and that was the time that I came in and learned from some really tough situations. I hope we never see that again, but that's given me an unusually deep perspective into financial soundness and the safety of banking and our financial systems.”
Along with serving on the State House of Representatives, Russ is also Chairman of the Transportation A&B committee, and he currently serves on the House Appropriations and Budget, Common Education, and Insurance committees.
“I am grateful for the leadership opportunities I have been given and the accomplishments during my time in the legislature. I believe my extensive background in banking and business, along with my understanding of the inner workings of state government, make me uniquely qualified to serve as Treasurer.”
Russ graduated from Sentinel High School in 1979 and would go on to receive a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
He currently lives in Cordell along with his wife Khristy, and they have three grown children: Ryan, Lacey, and Lauren.
“I'm a fourth-generation Oklahoman, and I've got a lot of real-life career experience to put to work for the people in the state of Oklahoma.”