Why Did J.B. Pritzker's Campaign Spend $12K+ on Covid Testing in One Week?

Seems the Governor of Illinois can't move on from his myopia

J.B. Pritzker’s campaign looks pretty committed to covid-19 testing.

JB for Governor paid $12,810 to Shield T3, the for-profit arm of the University of Illinois’ saliva-testing company, at the end of June, per data from Illinois Sunshine. That’s over 50% of the $22,110 the campaign has paid for testing since February.

I have questions about this expenditure, for which a proper journalist might be able to get answers.

1. Who is being tested, and why? Does the campaign have a vaccine-or-test requirement? If so, do they also have other health requirements (e.g., physical exam, dietary restrictions, fitness obligations)?

2. How much is the campaign paying Shield T3 per test? Is the cost reasonable, given the alternatives?

3. What does the $11,730 paid on June 24th include? Is it a reflection of hiring more people? Attending or staging a particular event?

4. Now that the vaccinated Governor has tested positive for covid (for the first time, we assume), will he continue to test for the virus?

5. How should Illinois Democrat voters who want to move on from covid interpret the campaign’s commitment to covid testing?

6. Shield T3, LLC is separate-ish from the *non-profit U of I subsidiary* SHIELD Illinois. Whose/what money went into these entities ? Who profits from these ventures, and how?

7. What assurances do Illinois parents have, if any, that the Governor’s ongoing commitment to SHIELD Illinois isn’t the main driver of the state’s nonsensical “covid guidance” for schools?

8. Are other Illinois political campaigns spending money on covid testing? If so, which ones, how much, etc.?

It’s possible the $12K expense was a one-time thing - or payment for tests conducted over a longer period. Still, I don’t get the sense that J.B. Pritzker - who has issued 31 successive disaster proclamations for Illinois since March 2020 - will ever be “done” with covid.

Hopefully, Illinois voters are done with him.

UPDATE: Mystery solved and new questions raised.

Overdue Payment