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Dusty Deevers

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Dusty Deevers
Member of the Oklahoma Senate
from the 32nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 20, 2023
Preceded byJohn Montgomery
Personal details
BornElgin, Oklahoma, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationOklahoma City University
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Dusty Deevers is an American politician and pastor who has served as a member of the Oklahoma Senate since December 2023. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life and education

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Dusty Deevers was born and raised in Elgin, Oklahoma.[1] He graduated from Oklahoma City University in 2001 and the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2008.[2]

Career

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He previously ran the Elgin pharmacy.[1] Since 2016, he has served as the pastor for Grace Reformed Baptist Church of Elgin.[3] He is also the CEO of Deevers Properties.[4] In 2020, his home caught fire while he was out of town, destroying most of his possessions.[5] In 2021, Oklahoma Watch reported on Deevers's anti-vaccine rhetoric, including comparing vaccine mandates to the Nuremberg laws.[6] As a leader and speaker recognized nationally in the Abolitionist Movement, he produced the first abortion abolitionist documentary A Storm Comes Rolling Down the Plain and serves as the VP[7] of Rescue Those.

Southern Baptist Conference

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In June 2023, Deevers was nominated to be the vice-president of the Southern Baptist Convention and received 20% of the vote, losing to Jay Adkins.[8] Deevers criticized SBC President Bart Barber's hiring of Brent Leatherwood from the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission as the SBC chief ethicist.[9][10] Barber received criticism for donating to Deevers's opponent, Jean Hausheer, during his 2023 primary election.[11]

Oklahoma Senate

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Deevers filed for the special election to fill John Montgomery's seat in the Oklahoma Senate after Montgomery resigned to serve as the president of the Lawton Chamber of Commerce. He faced Jennifer Ellis, JJ Francais, and Jean Hausheer in the Republican primary.[12] During the primary, Deevers was targeted by negative ads from a "dark money" political action committee.[13] He won the primary with 37% of the vote.[a] He won the general election on December 12, 2023, defeating the Democratic nominee, former University of Oklahoma football player Larry Bush.[14] The Oklahoman described his campaign as focusing on culture war issues.[15] He was sworn in on December 20, 2023.[16]

In 2024, he authored a bill, cosponsored by Senator Warren Hamilton, "classifying abortion as homicide, which allows both doctors and mothers to be prosecuted." They could "face up to the death penalty if charged with first-degree murder, though the bill makes exceptions to save the life of the mother and for spontaneous miscarriages." It also "allows for wrongful death lawsuits on behalf of fetusus."[17]

Political positions

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Abortion

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Deevers self-identifies as a "abortion abolitionist," meaning he does not support abortion under any circumstance, and a "constitutional conservative."[12][18] Baptist News Global has described him as an "ultra-conservative Baptist pastor".[2] He has been described by Rolling Stone as a Christian nationalist and as far-right by the Oklahoma Voice.[19][20] Deevers and Senator Warren Hamilton "spoke in favor of stricter laws at a rally organized by the groups Abolitionists Rising and Abolish Abortion Oklahoma at the state Capitol in early February" of 2024.[17]

He also advocates ending no-fault divorce.[12][21]

Porn ban proposal

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In 2024, Deevers put forth a bill to ban all pornography involving sexual acts, nudity, partial nudity, or any content that appeals to a sexual fetish, such as BDSM; with the only exception being for married spouses sending sexual images to each other. Anyone who buys, views, procures, or possesses porn would be punished by up to 20 years in prison; while anyone who poses for or otherwise assists or offers to assist in the production and distribution of said porn would be punished with a year in prison.[22]

Deever's proposal received national attention with the Rolling Stone describing it as "extreme — even for a Christian nationalist."[19] On January 29, 2024, the proposal was mocked during Jimmy Fallon's monologue for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.[23]

Electoral history

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2023 Southern Baptist Conference Vice President election[8]
Candidate Votes %
Jay Adkins 2,393 63.27
Dusty Deevers 784 20.73
Gevan Spinney 587 15.52
Total votes 3,764
2023 Oklahoma's 32nd Senate district special Republican primary[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Dusty Deevers 1,416 37.07
Republican Jean Hausheer 1,177 30.81
Republican JJ Francais 725 18.98
Republican Jennifer Ellis 502 13.14
Total votes 3,820 100.0
2023 Oklahoma's 32nd Senate district special election[25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Dusty Deevers 3,104 55.48
Democratic Larry Bush 2,491 44.52
Total votes 5,595 100.0
Republican hold

Notes

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  1. ^ Oklahoma law requires a candidate to receive a majority to win a party's nomination, except in special elections were the first round plurality winner gets the nomination.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b Marsicano, Seth (29 September 2023). "Senate District 32 Preview: Dusty Deevers". KSWO-TV. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b Wingfield, Mark (16 October 2023). "Abortion abolitionist pastor running for state Senate in Oklahoma". Baptist News Global. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  3. ^ Deevers, Dusty (20 December 2023). "Dusty Deevers, Republican Senator". The Lawton Constitution. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  4. ^ a b Patterson, Matt (11 October 2023). "Larry Bush, Dusty Deevers advance to SD 32 general election". NonDoc. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  5. ^ Cole, Cheyenne (17 November 2020). "Elgin family loses home in fire". KSWO-TV. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  6. ^ Brown, Trevor (21 December 2021). "As some Oklahoma churches push vaccines, others sow misinformation, doubt". The Oklahoman. Oklahoma Watch. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  7. ^ Deevers, Dusty. "Dusty Deevers, Author at Servants and Heralds". Servants and Heralds. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  8. ^ a b Cockes, Timothy (14 June 2023). "Barber leads slate of officers elected at SBC annual meeting | Baptist Press". Baptist Press. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  9. ^ Jackson, Jesse T. (15 September 2022). "SBC President Defends Hiring of New ERLC President, Calls SBC Pastor's Comments a 'Faustian Bargain With the Devil of Politics'". Church Leaders. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  10. ^ Camp, Ken (19 September 2022). "ERLC president says he won't tell Christians how to vote". Baptist Standard. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  11. ^ Chamberlain, Dale (13 November 2023). "SBC President Bart Barber Under Fire for Donating to Opponent of SBC Pastor in Oklahoma State Senate Race". ChurchLeaders. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  12. ^ a b c Patterson, Matt (25 September 2023). "Cheat sheet: Four compete in SD 32 Republican primary". NonDoc. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  13. ^ Adcock, Clifton (23 October 2023). "A phantom attack ad group surfaces again in an Oklahoma election". The Frontier. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  14. ^ Gowins, Max (12 December 2023). "Special Election Results: Oklahoma Legislature". Decision Desk HQ. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  15. ^ Carter, M. Scott (12 December 2023). "Republican Dusty Deevers wins Lawton state senate seat in Tuesday election". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  16. ^ Forman, Carmen (21 December 2023). "Lawton-area state senator Dusty Deevers sworn in after special election victory". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  17. ^ a b Fife, Ari (23 February 2024). "As more women leave Oklahoma to end pregnancies or order pills online, lawmakers seek tougher laws". The Frontier. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  18. ^ Stecklein, Janelle (7 December 2023). "Election 2023: Meet the candidates for Oklahoma Senate District 32". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  19. ^ a b Dickinson, Tim (2 February 2024). "This Lawmaker Wants to Jail People for Watching Porn". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  20. ^ Forman, Carmen (12 December 2023). "Republican Dusty Deevers wins Lawton Senate seat in special election". Oklahoma Voice. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  21. ^ Patterson, Matt (21 November 2023). "Dusty Deevers, Larry Bush outline competing priorities in SD 32 special election". NonDoc. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  22. ^ Nolan Brown, Elizabeth (22 January 2024). "Oklahoma Bill Would Ban Sending Sexy Selfies Unless You're Married". Reason. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  23. ^ Jackson, Jesse T. (2 February 2024). "State Senator and Pastor Dusty Deevers Mocked by Jimmy Fallon for Bill That Would Outlaw 'Sexting'". ChurchLeaders. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  24. ^ "For State Senator District 32 (Unexpired Term)". OK Election Results. Oklahoma State Election Board. 10 October 2023.
  25. ^ "For State Senator District 32 (Unexpired Term)". OK Election Results. Oklahoma State Election Board. 12 December 2023.
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