Dusty Deevers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theOklahoma Senate from the 32nd district | |
| Assumed office December 20, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | John Montgomery |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Elgin, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Oklahoma City University Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary |
Dusty Deevers is an American politician and pastor who has served as a member of theOklahoma Senate since December 2023. He is a member of theRepublican Party.
Dusty Deevers was born and raised inElgin, Oklahoma.[1] He graduated fromOklahoma City University in 2001 and theSouthwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2008.[2]
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'santi-vaccine rhetoric, including comparing vaccine mandates to theNuremberg laws.[6]
In June 2023, Deevers was nominated to be the vice-president of theSouthern Baptist Convention and received 20% of the vote, losing to Jay Adkins.[7] Deevers criticized SBC PresidentBart Barber's hiring of Brent Leatherwood from theEthics & Religious Liberty Commission as the SBC chief ethicist.[8][9]
Deevers filed for the special election to fillJohn Montgomery's seat in theOklahoma 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 theRepublican primary.[10] During the primary, Deevers was targeted by negative ads from a "dark money" political action committee.[11] He won the primary with 37% of the vote.[a] He won the general election on December 12, 2023, defeating theDemocratic nominee, formerUniversity of Oklahoma football player Larry Bush.[12]The Oklahoman described his campaign as focusing onculture war issues.[13] He was sworn in on December 20, 2023.[14]
In 2024, he authored a bill, cosponsored by SenatorWarren 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."[15]
| This article is part ofa series on |
| Christian nationalism in the United States |
|---|
 |
Deevers has been described byRolling Stone as aChristian nationalist and asfar-right by theOklahoma Voice.[16][17]Baptist News Global described him as an "ultra-conservative Baptist pastor" in 2023.[2]
Deevers self-identifies as an "abortion abolitionist," meaning he does not supportabortion under any circumstance, and a "constitutional conservative."[10][18] In 2024, he introduced a bill that would charge women getting abortions with murder.[19] Deevers and SenatorWarren Hamilton "spoke in favor of stricter laws at a rally organized by the groupsAbolitionists Rising and Abolish Abortion Oklahoma at the state Capitol in early February" of 2024.[15]
In 2025, he authored SB 228, which sought to create theCovenant Marriage Act of Oklahoma, allowing Oklahomans (of either gender) to enter acovenant marriage, and also offered a $2,500 income-tax credit.[20]
Also in 2025, Deevers said thatObergefell v. Hodges is not settled law, saying "there is just no right to gay marriage in the Constitution ... no Supreme Court ruling that redefines a God-ordained institution is ever truly settled: not morally or culturally, and even constitutionally. The rogue court will stand in judgment before God for their decision."[21]
Deevers advocates endingno-fault divorce.[10][22] In 2025, he authored SB 829, a bill to aiming prohibit no-fault divorce in Oklahoma.[20]
In 2024, Deevers put forth a bill to ban allpornography involving sexual acts, nudity, partial nudity, or any content that appeals to a sexual fetish, such asBDSM; 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.[23] Deever's proposal received national attention, withRolling Stone describing it as "extreme — even for aChristian nationalist."[16]
A year later, Deevers again introduced a bill to criminalize the production and distribution of pornography, with a prison sentence of 10–30 years for "organized pornography trafficking." The bill also criminalizesdrag performances.[24]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Adkins | 2,393 | 63.27 | |
| Dusty Deevers | 784 | 20.73 | |
| Gevan Spinney | 587 | 15.52 | |
| Total votes | 3,764 | ||
| 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 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dusty Deevers | 3,104 | 55.48 | ||
| Democratic | Larry Bush | 2,491 | 44.52 | ||
| Total votes | 5,595 | 100.0 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
