Left, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin speaks about findings in an audit of the LaSalle Veterans’ Home COVID-19 outbreak at a news conference Monday. Right, Gov. JB Pritzker addresses the audit last week. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line & Blue Room Stream]

After a state audit found the Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration failed to adequately respond to a November 2020 COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home, Pritzker’s potential Republican challengers have slammed the first-term governor as the safety of the state’s veterans’ homes becomes a core issue in a second straight gubernatorial election.