safe am media mcElwain
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pco
03/19/2026
Two companies with ties to veteran political operatives received at least $23 million in commissions for their role in the controversial Department of Homeland Security ad campaign that helped lead to Secretary Kristi Noem’s ouster.
One of the firms, Safe America Media, received at least $15.2 million and was formed last February just a few days before it was awarded the limited-bid contract to work on the overall $220 million, taxpayer-funded ad campaign, according to an internal DHS memo and three people familiar with the contracts who were granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the contracts. Safe America Media was run by Republican operatives Mike McElwain and Patrick McCarthy, who have ties to a firm that did extensive media buying on President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.
The second firm, People Who Think, received at least $7.7 million from its 10 percent commission on a portion of the $220 million, according to the memo, which was written by DHS Deputy Under Secretary for Management Paul Stackhouse, and reviewed by POLITICO. People Who Think was co-founded by Jay Connaughton, who did work for Trump’s 2016 campaign and has reportedly worked for other conservative politicians and causes.
The March 3 DHS memo noted there was only a “limited competition” for the awarded contracts because of the “urgent and compelling need” for the ad campaign. It also stated that People Who Think’s 10 percent commission for international advertising and Safe America Media’s 12 percent commission for domestic advertising was below the industry norm of 15 percent.
Besides military recruiting efforts and Covid-19-related campaigns, the DHS ads were the most expensive U.S. government marketing campaign in the last 10 years, Bloomberg reported.
The information about the contracts add new details to the ongoing fallout over DHS’s $220 million ad campaign, which included a video of a cowboy-hat clad Noem riding a horse at Mount Rushmore. It also highlights how political operatives were awarded contracts worth millions of dollars with seemingly little oversight or guardrails — including from President Donald Trump, who White House officials have saiddid not sign off on the ad campaign.
The ads became a sore spot within the White House, including with Trump, because they fed into a perception that Noem used her position to set herself up for a future political run.
“Safe America Media submitted a proposal for and was awarded a contract to support DHS’s nationwide public awareness campaign, and committed substantial resources to meet an accelerated timeline on budget,” Safe America Media lawyer Joseph Folio said in a statement to POLITICO. “We look forward to providing additional information to address inaccuracies in the public reporting and ensure the record accurately reflects the scope and context of that work.” It’s unclear what he is referring to and a spokesperson didn’t respond to a follow-up question.
McCarthy, McElwain and Connaughton didn’t respond to requests for comment and People Who Think could not be reached for comment. A spokesperson for DHS declined to comment.
Sen.
Tom Tillis (R-N.C.) speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol Feb. 26, 2026. (Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images) | AP
Republican Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Kennedy of Louisiana, along with Democrats, grilled Noem when she testified before Congress in early March about the DHS ad campaign. At one point during the hearing, a clearly frustrated Tillis threatened to halt all Senate business if Noem refused to provide information about immigration enforcement in his home state, while Kennedy probed Noem about the ads and derided them for only being “effective in your name recognition.”
Noem has defended the campaign by saying the ads helped encourage two million immigrants to self-deport and thus saved billions of dollars.
Noem was also asked during the hearing about the Strategy Group,which worked to make some of the ads for Safe America Media. The Strategy Group is run by Ben Yoho, the husband of Noem’s former right-hand communications aide Tricia McLaughlin. McLaughlin has said she recused herself from the campaign, and DHS general counsel James Percival has backed her up publicly on questions about the matter and said she was not involved in selecting subcontractors.
In a response to inquiries from Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), both members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Yoho said his company was only hired as a subcontractor by Safe America Media for ad production worth $226,000.
Asked about his role in this ad campaign, Yoho referred POLITICO to the letter.
Welch’s office told POLITICO that they have talked with legal representatives for People Who Think and Safe America Media but have not yet received responses to their questions. They said they expect to hear from them soon.
Safe America Media LLC placed some of the DHS ads through Strategic Media Services Inc., which received more than $269 million from Trump’s campaign in 2024, according to FEC records. SMS used the same office address on corporate registrations between 2013 and 2021 as Designated Market Media Inc., which McElwain is the president of.
SMS didn’t respond to a request for comment.
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stire site
Safe America Media — Official Agency
has real info
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dhs noem cory l
https://www.welch.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Sens.-Welch-and-Blumenthal-Letter-to-Smart-Media-LLC.pdf
3/16/2026
Mr. Kyle Roberts President and CEO Smart Media Group LLC 1427 Leslie Avenue #200 Alexandria, VA 22301
Dear Mr. Roberts, On February 13, 2025, Safe America Media LLC (Safe America Media) signed a no-bid contract ultimately worth $143 million to produce advertising campaigns for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).1 According to public reporting, Safe America Media then hired your company—Smart Media Group LLC (Smart Media)—to place these ads.2 We write to request information and records regarding Smart Media’s agreement with Safe America Media.
According to public reports, Smart Media has worked on multiple Republican political campaigns during the last decade with Corey Lewandowski, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s Chief Advisor. Smart Media has a subsidiary that received more than $329 million in 2024 from President Trump’s Political Action Committee while Mr. Lewandowski was advising the campaign’s senior leadership team.3
Smart Media also placed ads for Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry’s 2024 gubernatorial race while Mr. Lewandowski and People Who Think LLC—the other company selected by DHS as a prime contractor for the ad campaigns—were consultants for the Landry campaign.4 The company that hired Smart Media to complete the work for DHS, Safe America Media, which has no apparent office or website, was incorporated seven days before it received the $143 million agency contract.5
Safe America Media is registered to the personal address of Mike McElwain, a longtime Republican political operative.6 Pursuant to our responsibility to oversee DHS and federal contracting, our offices are reviewing allegations of misconduct arising from federal contract awards to assess whether and the extent
...
In order to better understand the relationships between Smart Media, Safe America Media, and DHS political leadership, and to understand how $143 million in taxpayer dollars were spent, we request the following documents by March 23, 2026: 1. A copy of any subcontract or other agreement with Safe America Media. 2. Any invoices Smart Media submitted to Safe America Media in connection with the DHS ad campaign, pursuant to a subcontract agreement or otherwise. 3. Any communication(s) between you or any agent of Smart Media and Safe America Media, or agents thereof, related to the production of the DHS ad campaign. 4. Any communication(s) between you or any agent of Smart Media and any DHS personnel, including but not limited to Secretary Kristi Noem, Corey Lewandowski, and Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. In addition, please provide detailed responses to the following questions: 1. When did Smart Media first communicate with Safe America Media about the potential of a contract? 2. Do you or Smart Media have any contractual, lobbying, or other relationship with Corey Lewandowski that refers or relates to this contract? If so, please provide any documentation regarding that relationship. 3. Did Smart Media directly or indirectly compensate—financially or otherwise—any DHS personnel, including but not limited to Special Government Employees, in connection with the DHS ad campaign? 4. Please identify all individuals and firms that Smart Media compensated—financially or otherwise—in connection with the DHS ad campaign. 5. Has Smart Media received any other contracts or subcontracts for services connected to or solicited by DHS? If so, please identify the projects and provide a description of Smart Media’s involvement. 6. Does Smart Media intend to pursue additional DHS or other federal agency contracts or subcontracts? 7. Does Smart Media have a conflict of interest policy? If so, please provide the policy. If it does not maintain such a policy, explain why not. Sincerely,
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sw old
Michael McElwain is a partner in the Republican media marketing firm Designated Market Media (DMM).
McElwain served as deputy political director at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) in the 2000 election cycle "as Republicans held the House." In the 1998 cycle, he served as NRCC southern field representative. McElwain also "managed state legislative races in Virginia and Texas" and served as "deputy political director, Colorado Republican Party."[1]
In April 2001, McElwain was promoted to NRCC political director, making "him the highest-ranking Republican strategist". McElwain had "control [of] an operating budget expected to exceed $150 million. His responsibilities will include developing a national political strategy, which will aim to increase the Republican Party's majority in the U.S. House of Representatives."[2]
McElwain replaced Terry Nelson at the NRCC, who left to found Dawson McCarthy Nelson Media, a firm affiliated with DMM.
McElwain is mentioned as NRCC political director during both the 2004 and 2006[3] election cycles, but was identified in May 2007 as a partner in Dawson McCarthy McElwain Media (DMMM), which would appear to be the successor to DMNM.[4]
Writing November 4, 2006, on the eve of the 2006 congressional elections, Charlie Cook of the National Journal said that "In the NRCC campaign division, Mike McElwain and Jonathan Poe are among the most talented operatives ever to work at any House or Senate party committee. A GOP debacle, if it materializes, will be in spite of them, not because of them."[5]
Profiles
McElwain graduated in 1991 from Baylor University with a B.A. in Finance.[1] "While at Baylor, McElwain was a resident assistant at Penland Hall and a member of the Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT.)"[2]
Resources
Related SourceWatch articles
References
- "Movers & Shakers - political consultants Howard Wolfson and Michael McElwain," Campaigns & Elections (FindArticles.com), September 2001.
- BJ Goergen, "Alumnus promoted by NRCC," Baylor University, April 3, 2001.
- Republican Committees-Organization, 2005-06 Edition (updated October 25, 2006): National Republican Congressional Committee.
- Maury Thompson, "Treadwell hires McElwain as consultant; Gillibrand votes to reauthorize Head Start funding; Conservatives endorse for fall races, Moreau GOP endorses," The Post-Star (FindArticles.com), May 4, 2007.
- Charlie Cook, "The Labels Won't Fit," The Cook Political Report/National Journal, November 4, 2006.
Dawson McCarthy Nelson Media LLC (DMN Media)[1] was founded in February 2001 by Terry Nelson, who joined with Sam Dawson,[2][3] a senior consultant to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) in 2000,[4] and Patrick J. McCarthy, Jr.,[5] of National Media, Inc., as partners.[6] DMN Media is a Washington, D.C.-based Republican "communication and advertising firm that specializes in developing strategy, messages, and advertising for political candidates."[7]
Patrick J. McCarthy, Jr. joined Dawson McCarthy Nelson Media (DMNM) in 2001 "after several cycles" with National Media, Inc., where "he was the lead media consultant for numerous campaigns, including Texas Comptroller Carol Keaton Rylander, Congressman Ed Schrock, and the Minnesota House Republican Caucus. He has also produced advertising for Visa and Americans for Consumer Education and Competition. In 1998 his issue advocacy spots in the Michigan Governor's race were called 'brutally effective' by the Detroit News. McCarthy also served as the Deputy Communications Director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 1996 and as a communications consultant to Sen. Strom Thurmond's last re-election campaign," his 2001 DMNM bio states.[1]
Patrick McCarthy
Patrick McCarthy joined DMN Media after several cycles with National Media. At National Media he was the lead media consultant for numerous campaigns, including Texas Comptroller Carol Keaton Rylander, Congressman Ed Schrock, and the Minnesota House Republican Caucus. He has also produced advertising for Visa and Americans for Consumer Education and Competition. In 1998 his issue advocacy spots in the Michigan Governor's race were called "brutally effective" by the Detroit News. McCarthy also served as the Deputy Communications Director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 1996 and as a communications consultant to Sen. Strom Thurmond's last re-election campaign.
x
Patrick McCarthy
@PJMdmm
I make ads for people who dislike taxes and big government.
Freedom Loving Florida
Joined November 2011
These posts are protected
Only approved followers can see @pjmdmm’s posts.
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ggl 8 26
Political operatives with Trump ties raked in millions of ...
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Mar 19, 2026 — Safe America Media was run by Republican operatives Mike McElwain and Patrick McCarthy, who have ties to a firm that did extensive media buying ...
Missing: longtime | Show results with: longtime
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Missing: longtime | Show results with: longtime
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U.S. Senator Peter Welch (.gov)
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Mar 11, 2025 — Safe America Media, LLC, Republican consultant Mike McElwain. Safe America Media has already been awarded $16 million for the ad buy. ...
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Bombshell Reports Show Trump Allies Got Rich Under ...
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Mar 19, 2026 — Safe America Media was reportedly selected for the contract because of the men who ran it: veteran GOP media operative Mike McElwain and his ...
Michael McElwain is a longtime Republican political ...
Michael McElwain is a longtime Republican political consultant and partner at DMM Media (Designated Market Media, Inc.), a Virginia-based ...Read more
Letter-to-Safe-America-Media.pdf - Senator Welch
U.S. Senator Peter Welch (.gov)
https://www.welch.senate.gov › uploads › 2026/03
Mar 6, 2026 — Michael McElwain. Dear Mr. McElwain,. On February 13, 2025, Safe America Media LLC (Safe America Media) signed a no-bid contract worth $143 ...Read more
3 pages
Missing: Republican operative
Michael McElwain
https://www.sourcewatch.org › index.php › Michael_Mc...
Michael McElwain is a partner in the Republican media marketing firm Designated Market Media (DMM). McElwain served as deputy political director at the ...Read more
Missing: longtime | Show results with: longtime
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