Biden Official’s Georgia Campaign Plagued by Ethics Violations and Pay-to-Play Claims

Clear Facts

• Former Biden White House official Keisha Lance Bottoms is running for Georgia governor despite a history of ethics violations including a $37,000 state ethics fine
• While serving as executive director of Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority, Bottoms awarded contracts totaling $3.8 million to a company whose CEO donated to and fundraised for her mayoral campaign
• The contractor, Con-Real, was the highest bidder on multiple contracts yet still won the work, raising serious pay-to-play concerns among former Atlanta officials

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who served in the Biden White House before launching her gubernatorial campaign, is facing renewed scrutiny over a pattern of ethics violations that span her entire political career. The Democratic candidate’s record includes questionable contractor relationships, misuse of taxpayer funds, and campaign finance violations that resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in fines.

The most troubling allegations center on Bottoms’ relationship with Con-Real, a construction company that received over $3.8 million in contracts after she helped the firm secure initial city work. While serving as executive director of the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority (AFCRA) — a six-figure position she held while simultaneously serving on city council and running for mayor — Bottoms signed the first contract with Con-Real in April 2017 for less than $100,000.

Just days after signing that contract, she left the council as her mayoral campaign intensified. Two months later, Con-Real won a second contract worth $2.4 million — despite submitting a bid roughly twice as high as competitors.

Former Atlanta City Council ethics committee chair Jennifer Ide told Fox News Digital the situation raised serious red flags.

“I mean, I think it’s concerning. I don’t think that the voters want to feel like special interests impact the outcome of an election.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that both contracts appeared to have been executed without proper board approval from AFCRA. While Ide acknowledged she wasn’t familiar enough with AFCRA’s specific rules to confirm a formal violation, she noted the absence of board oversight was among several troubling aspects of the arrangement.

Kyle Gomez-Leineweber, policy director at watchdog group Common Cause Georgia, confirmed that AFCRA changed its contracting procedures following the Bottoms controversy.

“There were serious concerns that were raised around ethics.”

The pay-to-play allegations became more apparent when Con-Real’s founder and CEO Gerald Alley held a fundraiser for Bottoms’ mayoral campaign in August 2017. Campaign finance records show Alley donated nearly $4,000 to her campaign just days after his company won the lucrative $2.4 million contract.

In 2018, after Bottoms became mayor, Con-Real secured a third contract worth $1.4 million. Once again, they were the highest bidder yet still won the work.

“It sure looked fishy that Con-Real was not the lowest bidder,” Ide observed. “I don’t know exactly what the procurement rules are for the recreation authority but for the city the lowest responsive bidder is who would have needed to have been selected.”

The financial relationship between Alley and Bottoms continued into her gubernatorial campaign. In June 2025, less than a month after she announced her run for governor, Alley donated the maximum allowable amount of $8,400 for the primary election.

The Con-Real controversy represents just one chapter in Bottoms’ troubled ethics record. She previously paid a $37,000 state ethics fine for campaign finance violations and faced criticism over taxpayer-funded mailers during campaign season that prominently featured her own photograph.

Additional questions emerged about her use of public funds for personal expenses, including airfare for her husband’s Super Bowl trip and thousands of dollars in limousine spending charged to taxpayers.

Humberto Garcia, a Democrat and Atlanta resident who founded the anti-Buckhead City movement Neighbors for a United Atlanta, expressed concern about Bottoms’ fitness for higher office.

“I really believe that as people start to dig under the surface, they’re going to see that she’s not fit for office.”

Both Garcia and Ide described Bottoms’ tenure as mayor as characterized by absenteeism and questioned whether she would prioritize the interests of Georgia voters over campaign donors if elected governor.

“If you’re going to run for the highest office in the state, there needs to be no questions about whether you’re being influenced by your campaign donations in that kind of way,” Ide stated.

The Bottoms campaign and Con-Real did not respond to requests for comment. The Democratic primary for Georgia governor is scheduled for May 19, with Bottoms currently leading in most major polls despite the ethical concerns surrounding her candidacy.

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.