N.M. Senate Candidate Criticized For Using James Foley Execution Video In Campaign Ad

A New Mexico Senate candidate is under fire for recently using an image from the death of American photojournalist James Foley in a campaign video uploaded to YouTube.

The video, promoting the election of Senate hopeful Allen Weh, criticizes President Obama's foreign policy, claiming that the president has taken too many vacations and golf trips while the U.S. deals with international crisis including the Islamic State's recent beheading of American journalist James Foley.

The video, uploading to the Weh campaign's YouTube account, seeks to make a connection between the president's leadership and the leadership of New Mexico Senate incumbent, Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), who has said he supports Obama's decisions.

"To change Washington, you must change your senator," the advertisement concludes, flashing the phrase "Restore Leadership."

Critics have accused Weh of being insensitive due to one image posted in the recent campaign video. At the :31 mark of the video, a still from the grueseome video of Foley's beheading, uploaded to YouTube last week, appears on the screen. The image is of Foley's masked captor and murderer, and although Weh was attempting to connect his views on Obama's diplomacy and the growing power of the Islamic State, many have accused the Senate hopeful of being insensitive to America and Foley's family by posting the image of the jihadist murderer.

"James Foley's death is a tragedy, and to use his killer's horrific image for personal gain in a campaign ad is reprehensible and appalling," Daniel Sena, the campaign manager for Senate incumbent Udal, wrote in a statement. "If Allen Weh wants to talk about the issues with New Mexico voters, he should find a way to do it that is respectful and substantive. Using James Foley's horrific and tragic death for shock value is offensive to Mr. Foley's family, New Mexico voters and the rest of our country."

Weh has sought to defend the use of the image in the video, with his campaign manager Diego Espinoza telling ABC News that Udall's concern is "feigned."

"Out of respect for the Foley family, no picture of James Foley was used. Tom Udall's feigned outrage over the inclusion of a now familiar image of this Jihadi terrorist, who is clearly the face of the evil that threatens our nation. Senator Udall's comments about our diplomacy being 'good' reflect his naiveté and inexperience in matters of national security," Espinoza said in his statement.