Lawton-area state senator Dusty Deevers sworn in after special election victory

Carmen Forman
·2 min read
Surrounded by members of his family, newly elected Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, takes his oath of office.
Surrounded by members of his family, newly elected Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, takes his oath of office.

Members of the state Senate welcomed a new member Wednesday.

Republican Dusty Deevers, of Elgin, was sworn in to represent Senate District 32 in Comanche County.

A Christian pastor and businessman, Deevers won a special election last week to fill a vacancy in the Senate. Deevers is a political novice who has never held elected office before.

Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice M. John Kane IV administered the oath of office on the floor of the Senate chamber as Deevers’ family and a bipartisan group of senators watched.

More: Republican Dusty Deevers wins Lawton state Senate seat in Tuesday election

The Senate gallery was full of Deevers’s supporters, including some who wore stickers advocating for abortion to be abolished.

Deevers is a self-proclaimed abortion abolitionist. He has vowed to support legislation introduced by Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, that would allow prosecutors to charge women who undergo an abortion.

Although Oklahoma bans most abortions, state law doesn’t allow charges to be brought against women who seek the procedure. There appears to be little appetite among anti-abortion Republicans to pass legislation that would punish women who seek an abortion.

“Here in Oklahoma, it’s time to abolish abortion, abolish pornography, abolish the state income tax and give power and equal representation back to the people,” Deevers tweeted after winning his race.

Deevers succeeds former Sen. John Michael Montgomery, a moderate Republican, who resigned earlier this year to lead the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce.

More: Outside groups spent $2.3 million on Oklahoma elections in 2023

Deevers joins the Senate at a time when the GOP caucus will soon have to elect a new leader to succeed Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, who is in his last year in office.

Because Deevers filled an unexpired Senate term, he will be up for election again in 2026.

Senate District 32 encompasses part of Lawton, including Fort Sill and Cameron University. The district also includes Cache, Elgin and Fletcher.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Dusty Deevers sworn in to represent Senate District 32 near Lawton