Dr. Oz Is 'Currently Focused' on His Show amid Reports He's Considering a Senate Run, Says Rep

Dr. Mehmet Oz is staying "focused" on his show amid reports that he is laying the groundwork to run for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania.

While The Washington Free Beacon on Tuesday detailed how Oz was "preparing to jump into" the race, according to unnamed sources, a spokesperson for The Dr. Oz Show tells PEOPLE that the television personality and cardiothoracic surgeon "has no announcement at this time" regarding a potential run for office as a Republican.

"Since last year, Dr. Oz has lived and voted in Pennsylvania where he attended school and has deep family ties," the spokesperson says, adding: "Dr. Oz has received encouragement to run for the U.S. Senate, but is currently focused on our show and has no announcement at this time."

Oz is originally from Cleveland. In 1986, he went to medical school at the University of Pennsylvania — where he also earned an MBA. He has been a professor at the Department of Surgery at Columbia University since 2001.

Last year, his long-running Dr. Oz Show was renewed for a 13th and 14th season — keeping it on air through the 2022-23 television season.

"I'm honored to have our long-term partners continue to support our mission to keep America healthy while providing context and analysis of complicated information in this unprecedented time," Oz said in a statement at the time.

After several months of filming the show from home last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Oz and his crew returned to the studio in September 2020 to film season 12.

The Pennsylvania Senate seat in question is currently held by Republican Senator Pat Toomey, who won't be running for re-election after serving in the Senate since 2011.

The leading Republican candidate seeking to fill Toomey's seat is Sean Parnell, a decorated Army veteran who served in Afghanistan. Democratic candidates include the lieutenant governor, John Fetterman.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Parnell is currently embroiled in an ongoing case over custody of is his three young children with his estranged wife, Laurie Snell. During a court hearing on Monday, Parnell denied accounts of physical and emotional abuse that Snell gave in her own testimony last week.

Parnell announced his candidacy in May. In September, he landed the sought-after endorsement of former President Donald Trump, whose approval is often key in Republican primaries.