The California Nurses Association has begun airing an ad in battleground presidential election states that suggests voters should be concerned about John McCain's health and Sarah Palin's ability to be president if he should die in office.

The ad, airing in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin, shows images of McCain and Palin alongside a graphic that suggests a heart monitor.

Several charges against Palin are flashed on the screen, including "Opposed ‘Bridge to Nowhere' then kept the taxpayers' money" and "Wants to teach creationism in public schools," alongside a women singing "one heartbeat away."

At the end of the ad, the association notes the commercial was not affiliated with any political campaign.

The Washington Post reported that a spokesman for the Republican National Committee called the ad offensive and filled with inaccuracies. The ad was scheduled to run Wednesday and Thursday and is not scheduled to air in California.