Democratic candidate Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Democrat John Fetterman created the petition to “honor Dr. Oz’s deep New Jersey roots.”
Dr. Oz’s ties to Pennsylvania have been questioned by critics who are unsure if he lives there.
Oz is running as a Republican against Fetterman to represent Pennsylvania in the Senate.
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has launched a petition to support inducting Dr. Mehmet Oz into the New Jersey hall of fame, as the two vie to represent the state of Pennsylvania in the US Senate.
Oz’s ties to Pennsylvania, where he is running for Senate as a Republican, have been questioned repeatedly by critics who are unsure if he actually lives there. In January 2020, Oz’s wife gave a tour of their New Jersey mansion to People, which reported the couple had lived their for two decades.
According to Oz’s campaign, he and his wife currently live in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania.
Earlier this month, Fetterman, Oz’s Democratic opponent, accused the celebrity doctor of filming a campaign video from his New Jersey home. Fetterman also enlisted Jersey Shore alum Nicole LaValle, better known as Snooki, to heckle Oz about his connection to the state in a Cameo video.
Oz has returned some of the heckling, including by posting a “Little Miss” meme on Twitter that said Fetterman “never leaves the basement.”
—Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) July 22, 2022
It’s not clear how many people have signed Fetterman’s petition, but according to the site it was created to “honor Dr. Oz’s deep New Jersey roots.”
“We all know Dr. Oz is soooooo proud to be Jersey Strong,” the site says.
Under the US Constitution, a senator must be a resident of the state they are chosen to represent at the time they are elected.
Oz was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. The Republican candidate and Fetterman are set to face off in November to determine who will replace retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.
Recent polling showed Fetterman had pulled ahead of Oz.
Fetterman’s and Oz’s campaigns did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.