It’s a query most Individuals can reply fairly simply: “What number of homes do you personal?”

However for TV physician and Senate candidate Mehmet Oz, it’s apparently a tough one—with qualifiers, a proof, and an interpretative reply.

At a marketing campaign cease final weekend on the Carbon County Honest in Palmerton, Pennsylvania, a Democratic marketing campaign operative requested Ozwhat number of homes he owns.

Ozs reply? “Legitimately, I personal two homes,” he mentioned, in keeping with footage filmed by the operative and obtained by The Day by day Beast.

“However one in every of them we’re constructing on, the opposite ones I lease,” Ozadded.

The issue with that reply is Oz—legitimately—owns way over two homes.

The truth is, in keeping with public data, Dr. Ozowns 10 properties:

• a 9,000-square-foot mansion in New Jersey

• a 7,000-square-foot nation home in Pennsylvania

• a apartment in New Jersey

• a bit of residential actual property in Sariyer, Turkey

• one other piece of residential actual property in Sariyer, Turkey

• a Manhattan apartment

• one other Manhattan apartment

• an oceanside mansion in Palm Seashore, Florida

• a cattle farm in Okeechobee, Florida

• and a bit of residential property in Konya, Turkey, which seems for use as a pupil dormitory

Ozs spouse, Lisa, additionally owns a mansion in Maine together with her household and a pool home subsequent to Ozs New Jersey mansion.

Whereas Ozdoes lease out a few of these properties—at instances sharing them with questionable tenants—he isn’t renting them from others. He owns them, legally and legitimately, they usually make up a large portion of his belongings, which complete at the very least $100 million.

Ozs wealth has been a focus all through his Senate run in Pennsylvania. Whereas framing himself as an everyman candidate who thinks $20 is an excessive amount of for crudités—earlier than the tequila—Democrats have been attacking the Republican Senate hopeful on his huge rolodex of addresses.

His opponent, Pennsylvania Lieutenant Gov. John Fetterman, simply final weekend insisted the press ought to reality test what number of “mansions” Ozowns.

The places of these mansions have additionally been a frequent supply of competition. Ozonly moved to Pennsylvania in late 2020, after years of dwelling in New Jersey and rising up in Delaware. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), whose time period ends this yr, had introduced plans to retire earlier in 2020, teeing up the open major for Republicans this yr.

Ozdid attend medical and enterprise college on the College of Pennsylvania, and his in-laws have been already Pennsylvania residents.

Others have raised questions concerning the supply of Ozs wealth. As a celeb TV physician, Ozhas drawn pushback over time for hawking questionable well being dietary supplements—typically together with merchandise he was secretly invested in.

Requested by The Day by day Beast immediately what number of properties Ozowns, the Ozcampaign didn’t reply. The marketing campaign additionally didn’t reply to a request for touch upon if there have been any unknown homes neglected of this report.

After all, Ozisn’t the one rich candidate within the race. Fetterman himself comes from cash, and he obtained monetary help from his household whereas serving as mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania—a job that solely pays $150 a month. (His Braddock loft was additionally gifted to him for less than $1 by his sister.)

However Fetterman has largely averted the identical pushback as Oz, partially as a result of Ozis way and away extra rich, and in addition as a result of Fetterman’s hoodie and dishevelled shorts aesthetic don’t precisely scream “Scrooge McDuck,” at the very least not the identical manner Ozs wardrobe and expertise as a TV physician suggests he’s a multimillionaire. (Ozalso hasn’t been in a position to successfully name out Fetterman for his household wealth, for apparent causes.)

Wealth has been a staple of American political debate for many years. In 2008, Barack Obama hammered his presidential opponent, then-Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), in an advert titled “Seven,” Obama’s marketing campaign highlighted how McCain couldn’t really keep in mind what number of homes he owned. (The reply was seven.)

In 2012, Obama additionally attacked Mitt Romney over his exorbitant wealth, with the marketing campaign continually highlighting that Romney had a “automobile elevator” deliberate for a San Diego residence, so he might extra effectively retailer all of his cars.

After which, after all, there’s Donald Trump, whose billionaire standing has been a relentless supply of derision, doubt, and delight—relying on who you ask.

Within the Pennsylvania Senate race, wealth has performed a job for the reason that major, the place the riches of once-GOP-frontrunner for the nomination Dave McCormick drew quips from the Democratic subject. And Fetterman himself has known as out the ultra-wealthy, beforehand voicing help for a wealth tax and making a rise within the federal minimal wage a central pillar of his marketing campaign.

Within the alternate with the Democratic operative, who doesn’t seem within the clip to introduce himself or announce that he’s recording Oz, the operative asks the GOP Senate candidate what number of homes he has.

After Oztells him he “legitimately” solely has two homes, the operative asks about one of many homes being the one the place Ozmarried his spouse.

“Really, yeah, I’m renting that from my mother-in-law as a result of we’re constructing the home subsequent to it,” Ozsaid.

The operative doesn’t stick round very lengthy for extra questions. He merely says, “Oh, gotcha”—pun seemingly not supposed—and provides that Ozs state of affairs is “very cool.”

“Thanks very a lot,” the operative says as he leaves and turns off his digicam.