New Mexico's Republican candidate Allen Weh has stirred up a controversy for briefly including an image of the ISIS militant who executed American journalist James Wright Foley in an ad for his election campaign.
Released Monday, Weh's ad shows Foley's killer just for a few seconds. The video criticizes the policies of New Mexico's Democratic Sen. Tom Udall and President Barak Obama. "To change Washington, you must change your senator," the video states.
However, people were not happy with the inclusion of images of Foley's killer. "Bad form, bro - as a Pastor, and a Vet, I find using Foley's death for a campaign is beyond any form of human decency," John O'Keefe wrote on Weh's campaign page on Facebook. "My heart breaks for your lack of empathy and compassion."
"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," Udall's campaign manager Daniel Sena said in a statement.
However, Weh defended himself saying, "I don't think there's anything wrong with it. In fact, I think it serves the greater good," reports krqe.com. "You'll note that no picture of Mr. Foley was ever in that film. None, ever."
Weh is a Marine veteran and onetime New Mexico Republican Party Chairman. Udall is ahead of Weh by double digits in recent polls and is considered safe for the upcoming election, which is two months away, reports CNN.
Foley was beheaded last week by the ISIS militant. His death created uproar in the country and people have questioned Obama's policies toward Iraq.
