Rep. Todd Russ and former Sen. Clark Jolley are set to face off in a public debate for the Republican nomination for Oklahoma state treasurer.
The debate — titled Money Matters — is set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16, at the H.B. Atkinson Theater in the center of campus at Rose State College, 6420 S.E. 15th St. in Midwest City. (The Atkinson Theater is designated Building 10 on this campus map.)
In the June Republican primary, Russ finished with 48.51 percent and Jolley received 33.87 percent. Third-place finisher David Hooten resigned as Oklahoma County Clerk during the primary campaign. (Current State Treasurer Randy McDaniel announced in May 2020 that he would not be seeking reelection.)
Oklahoma’s state treasurer is selected in a statewide election. The position focuses on providing sound banking and investment services for state funds, and it oversees the state’s Unclaimed Property Program and the 529 College Savings Plan. The state treasurer serves on the Oklahoma Board of Equalization and in an ex-officio capacity on the Council of Bond Oversight.
State treasurer debate details
The Aug. 16 debate is being held in partnership with News 9, and Tres Savage of NonDoc and Storme Jones of News 9 will serve as moderators. The debate will be live-streamed on News 9’s website and Facebook page, as well as NonDoc’s Facebook page. The Frontier is also a media partner for this debate, with a focus on fact checking.
To be reminded of the Aug. 16 debate livestream, you can RSVP to this Facebook event page.
NonDoc’s 2022 public debate series is supported by financial sponsors like the State Chamber of Oklahoma, AARP Oklahoma, McSpadden, Milner & Robinson and the Oklahoma Public School Resource Center, the Oklahoma Association of REALTORS and Overman Legal Group. All questions posed to candidates will be written and asked by professional journalists.
After serving 12 years in the Oklahoma House representing the area around Cordell, Russ is terming out of the Legislature this year. Jolley previously served 12 years in the Oklahoma Senate from Edmond, and he termed out of office in 2016. Jolley then served as a member of the Oklahoma Tax Commission until he declared his candidacy for state treasurer.
The winner of the GOP nomination for state treasurer will face Democrat Charles De Coune and Libertarian Gregor J. Sadler in the November general election. DeCoune previously ran for Oklahoma state treasurer in 2018 as an independent, receiving 28.42 percent of the vote against McDaniel.
