Oklahoma pastor and state senator Dusty Deevers is calling on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to appoint Southern Baptist pastor Tom Ascol to replace Senator Marco Rubio, who is expected to leave his seat to serve as Secretary of State in the Trump administration.

In a post on X, Deevers says that “there is no better man to replace Rubio than my friend Tom Ascol.”

For conservatives longing to see genuine conservative leadership—grounded in biblical principles and immune to the pandering of the woke establishment—this proposal could be revolutionary.

For nearly four decades, he has pastored Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Florida, where he has stood unapologetically on the authority of Scripture. As president of Founders Ministries, Ascol has dedicated his life to reinvigorating the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) with its Reformed theological roots.

While so many in the SBC have succumbed to the cultural pressures of social justice and progressive ideology, Ascol is one of the few remaining conservatives to stay, calling the denomination back to the gospel while opposing the influx of woke ideologies that have its grips on so many SBC leaders and pastors.

Christian Nationalist, Dusty Deevers, a man cut from the same cloth who is also a pastor and a Republican state senator in Oklahoma, has gained a reputation as an advocate for biblical values in public policy. From pushing legislation to abolish abortion and classify it as homicide, to introducing bold measures to ban pornography in his state, Deevers has made it clear that he answers to God.

His call for DeSantis to appoint Ascol to the Senate reflects a vision for leadership that prioritizes conviction over cowardice and principles over political expediency.

Marco Rubio’s anticipated departure to join Trump’s cabinet as Secretary of State leaves a void that cannot be filled by another milquetoast politician. Deevers recognizes this moment for what it is, an opportunity to inject the Senate with a voice that will unapologetically champion conservative values in the face of relentless attacks from the left—and, frankly, from the woke right as well. And Deevers believes that Ascol is precisely that voice.

Ascol’s record speaks for itself. His opposition to Resolution 9, the SBC’s disastrous endorsement of critical race theory and intersectionality as “analytical tools,” was a pivotal moment in the denomination’s ongoing battle for its soul. Ascol understood what so many failed to see—that these ideologies are not neutral frameworks but Trojan horses for Marxist infiltration.

While unpopular at the time, he followed in the waves of the “discernment blogs” that had been pointing this out for years, stood against these ideologies, and championed a commitment to the sufficiency of Scripture, even as the SBC’s leadership caved to cultural pressure. Eventually, his hard-line stance cost him the SBC presidency.

Ascol, an abortion abolitionist like Deevers, isn’t content with the incrementalist approach that has defined the pro-life movement for decades. He calls for the immediate abolition of abortion without compromise.

For too long, the Republican Party has been dominated by leaders who either fear the cultural left or seek to appease it. Ascol’s appointment would mark a seismic shift—a rejection of the wishy-washy, go-along-to-get-along mentality that has neutered conservatism’s moral authority. It would send a clear message that Florida, and by extension the Republican Party, is done with empty platitudes and ready for leaders who will fight.

Ascol’s potential ascent to the Senate is more than a political move, it’s a statement of purpose. It’s a rejection of the spiritual and moral decay propagated by the left and tolerated by far too many on the right. It’s a rallying cry for conservatives who believe that faith and politics are not separate spheres but interconnected battlegrounds in the war for America’s soul.

Governor DeSantis has a choice to make. He can appoint another politician who will fold under pressure and placate the mob. Or he can choose a man like Tom Ascol, who has spent his life standing firm when others have faltered. For those who long to see courage, conviction, and biblical truth restored to the halls of power, the choice couldn’t be clearer. It’s time for a leader who doesn’t just represent conservatism—but redefines it.