Ben Yoho
CEO of The Strategy Group, an Ohio Republican advertising firm that operated as an undisclosed subcontractor for $142.8M in DHS contracts routed through the Safe America Media shell company. Married to Tricia McLaughlin, Noem's DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs — whose office funded the contracts. Brought into Noem's orbit by Corey Lewandowski. Previously received $8.5M in South Dakota state funds and $5M+ for Noem's 2022 reelection ads.
Follow the Money
Ben Yoho (age 38 as of 2025) runs The Strategy Group, an Ohio-based Republican consulting and advertising firm. His relationship with Noem has been lucrative across three levels of government:
| Year | Contract | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Noem gubernatorial reelection ads | $5M+ | Campaign funds |
| 2023 | South Dakota state tourism/economy ads | $8.5M | State taxpayer funds |
| 2025-26 | DHS “Stronger Borders” campaign (via Safe America Media) | Undisclosed | Federal taxpayer funds |
ProPublica reported that a top Noem aide told an official the governor would be angry if Yoho’s company didn’t win the 2023 South Dakota state contract. Contemporaneous text messages corroborate that senior Noem officials pushed for Yoho to get it.
The Strategy Group claims it received only $226,137.17 from the DHS contract for 5 film shoots, 45 video ads, and 6 radio ads. This figure has not been independently verified and seems implausibly low for the scope of work described. If accurate, the question becomes: where did the other $142.5 million go?
Yoho registered in South Dakota on January 12-13, 2023 — the same day the state contract bid opportunity was released.
Sources
- ProPublica
- South Dakota Searchlight2025-11-14