A U.S. Senate candidate in Washington state is fed up with how little the media is focusing on the war in Afghanistan.

Republican candidate Michael Baumgartner said Tuesday he sent a personal email to Seattle-based political blog PubliCola. In the note, Baumgartner told a reporter to "go f--- yourself" and included a photo of someone who recently died in Afghanistan.

The reporter at PubliCola interviewed Baumgartner on Monday about Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin's comments on the issue of rape. Reporter Josh Feit said Baumgartner briefly expressed frustration about the lack of focus on the war in Afghanistan but that the email was a surprise. Feit said he tried reaching out to Baumgartner several times following the email.

Baumgartner is a state senator challenging Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell.