Ron Redo, the Democratic candidate for state treasurer, said he's retooling his campaign following Joe Meyer's decisive win in the Republican primary.

"I don't really want to say too much right now, because I'm still in a state of surprise," said Redo, a long-haul truck driver who lives in Cheyenne.

Meyer, the current secretary of state, toppled former state House Speaker Fred Parady 49,400 to 28,700. Redo received 23,800 votes in his party's primary. Term limits prevent Meyer from running for re-election.

Redo ran unsuccessfully for treasurer in 1990 against Stan Smith. In that campaign, he was primarily concerned that the state investment strategy was becoming too liberal. He said that could be a concern again if Meyer wins the seat.

Redo, 60, criticized Meyer's vote on the state Loan and Investment Board in favor of investing state funds in private equities, which Redo believes is too risky.

"I feel the state shouldn't get into that," he said.

Defending his vote, Meyer said the investment was an attempt to diversify the state portfolio. "It's not way out of the box," he said. "It's just another class of investments as you diversify your portfolio … We're not the only state that does that."

If elected, Redo said he also would push for an increase in state severance taxes on mineral royalties, and he thinks a portion of the funds should be distributed to Wyoming adults every two years.

Redo said the checks would give a needed boost to the poor, and would increase interest in state investment policy, which would "ensure the quality of future investment managers."

The Legislature considered and rejected a similar plan in the last session.

Redo, who holds a bachelor's degree in technical arts, said he preferred not to discuss other issues until he's had a chance to reevaluate his campaign in light of Meyer's recent margin of victory.

-Jared Miller