State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd, a Republican, faces Libertarian Kiefer Perry in the Nov. 3 election for Oklahoma state treasurer. Byrd, who is term limited as state auditor, said she probably knows more about the finances of Oklahoma, both at the state and local government, than most officials serving.
Byrd easily defeated Republican incumbent State Treasurer Todd Russ in the June 26 primary with nearly 62% of the vote. Byrd initially announced she was running for lieutenant governor but switched to treasurer after President Donald Trump endorsed T.W. Shannon in that race. She said the endorsement made her pause to consider what she really wanted to do. On Oct. 1, Trump endorsed Byrd for state treasurer during a rally in Durant. Byrd, 53, said she was grateful for the endorsement but never believed an endorsement put someone over the top when it comes to winning an election.
Byrd, of Coalgate, has worked for the state auditor’s office for nearly 30 years, the last eight as state auditor and inspector. Despite the vast difference in experience and name recognition, Byrd said she is not taking anything for granted. “I don’t leave anything to chance,” she said.
Perry, 37, of Broken Arrow, works at Lowe’s changing out displays and fixtures. It is the first time he has run for elected office. He decided to run so that Libertarians would maintain ballot access. “We didn’t have as many people running for offices this year, and so I volunteered at our last state convention that I would put my name in the hat, so to speak, to try to gather the required votes needed to retain ballot access for future elections,” Perry said.
For Libertarians to continue to be recognized, one of their candidates for statewide office must receive 2.5% of the total votes cast for the office in either of the two preceding general elections, according to the State Election Board website. “Looking at our past record in these kinds of races our candidates received in excess of 20 percent,” said Chris Powell, past chairperson of the Oklahoma Libertarian Party. Perry said that although he does not expect to win, he wants to use the opportunity to spread the Libertarian message of limited government and provide options to voters. He wants to protect the personal rights and freedoms of individuals, he said.
