Idaho Republican ‘Community Leader’ Freaks Out Over Hershey’s Commercial Featuring Black Family

Source: Nathan Howard / Getty

A local Republican “community leader” based in Idaho was blasted recently for a racist since-deleted Tweet complaining about a commercial showing a Black family enjoying the holidays. The Daily Beast reported Lisa Leisy lost it on social media after seeing an old Hershey commercial depicting a Black family reveling in the holiday spirit.

Writer Tim Peacock said the incident was basically “the 2021 GOP in a nutshell.”

The 2021 @GOP in a nutshell: @LisaLeisy – who was serving as Power County Chair for Idaho Lt. Gov. @JaniceMcGeachin‘s gubernatorial run – had a complete meltdown over a year old @Hersheys commercial explicitly because it had a black family in it. You can’t make this stuff up. pic.twitter.com/bNyK21v8Rf

— Tim Peacock (@TimAPeacock) December 5, 2021

As of Sunday, Leisy no longer had her affiliation with Idaho Lt. Gov Janice McGeachin’s gubernatorial campaign listed in her Twitter bio. Her tweets were also protected. She lists herself as anti-vaxx local leader. It is unclear if she is still affiliated with McGeachin’s campaign.

But given the stunts McGeachin has pulled this year alone, it’s unclear if Leisy went too far for the gubernatorial candidate. Back in May, McGeachin used a short stint as acting governor to issue an executive order banning mask mandates.

Leisy’s Instagram account god.and.patriotism was still public with a recent post sharing a statement from Donald Trump continuing the false narrative of “election fraud” during the 2020 election. Leisy seems to support extremist Republican candidates and party figures from her social media.

Twitter user Brett Storm encouraged followers to flood Leisy’s account with pictures of Black families celebrating the holidays.

This Idaho racist @ LisaLeisy (who’s “protected” her acct) wrote:
“I don’t support the new & improved #Hersheys #christmas black only commercial. Classic #commercial and they ruined it.”
I think we need to flood her acct w/photos of black people doing holiday things!
Join me! pic.twitter.com/0jrAastSnj

— Breck Storm (@BreckStorm) December 5, 2021

Another Twitter user posted what appeared to be screenshots of deleted Instagram posts complaining about the Hershey’s commercial and the new Annie in the NBC production of Annie Live! Wait until she finds out the talented Celina Smith isn’t the first Black Annie either! That honor belongs to the equally gifted Quvenzhané Wallis, who starred in an Annie remake along with Jamie Foxx as Daddy Warbucks in 2014.

Let @LisaLeisy know what you think on her Instagram also. #racism https://t.co/d9pjBUF7mJ pic.twitter.com/4wEIn7v0eo

— IDF2 (@IDFreedom2) November 30, 2021

Her Instagram posts also suggest ardent support for Kyle Rittenhouse, who was recently acquitted of murdering two people in Kenosha, Wis., last year.

First reported by Boise State Public Radio, the outlet noted that Leisy had a similar meltdown on her Instagram account over Apple “promoting” Juneteenth.

“Guess we’re on our way to be a black nation ahead,” she wrote. “Welcome to the ‘new’ America.”

When people show you who they are…

“Earlier this year, Lisa Leisy complained on Instagram that she was ‘disgusted’ to see her iPhone had added Juneteenth to her calendar. ‘Guess we’re on our way to be a black nation ahead,’ she wrote. ‘Welcome to the ‘new’ America.'” https://t.co/Lr97VLNv3D

— Patricia Thom (@PatriciaThom10) December 4, 2021

Pretty sure Leisy hasn’t had issues with commercials showing all white families enjoying the holidays or spending quality time together.

Disparities in representation in advertising isn’t a new issue. And as the U.S. population continues to diversify, so should representation in media and advertising. A November blog post from Procter & Gamble’s Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard pointed to “new habits for multicultural growth.”

“According to the 2020 United States Census, 100% of the population growth in the past decade came from increases in the Black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native, Indigenous, multi-racial and multi-ethnic segments of the population,” wrote Pritchard. “Multicultural buying power is now worth more than $5 trillion and has been THE driver of market growth for a decade.”