May 10 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said he'd be willing to campaign jointly with Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, and debate him in town-hall style formats.

``I think that's a great idea,'' Obama, 46, told reporters in Bend, Oregon, today as he campaigned ahead of the state's May 20 primary. ``Obviously we would have to think through the logistics on that, but to the extent that should I, should I be the nominee, if I have the opportunity to debate substantive issues before the voters with John McCain, that's something that I am going to welcome.''

Obama, an Illinois senator, was responding to a question citing reports that McCain's advisers have suggested the two should campaign together this summer, debating at town hall meetings without a moderator.

Obama, who is leading the race for the Democratic presidential nomination over New York Senator Hillary Clinton, 60, picked up support today from three superdelegates. One was from Utah and two from the Virgin Islands, one of whom switched his support from Clinton. Clinton picked up the support of a superdelegate from Massachusetts.

Obama has been steadily closing in on Clinton's superdelegate lead and now barely trails her in the race for party leaders and elected officials, who will end up deciding the Democratic nomination because neither candidate would be able to gain enough pledged delegates from primaries and caucuses to seal the nomination.

Superdelegate Count

Clinton now has 275.5 superdelegates to Obama's 274, according to lists provided by both campaigns and public announcements. The New York Times and ABC News, using different methods of counting, put Obama ahead.

Obama has the lead in pledged delegates awarded in nominating contests, 1,588 to Clinton's 1,425, according to an unofficial count by the Associated Press. The remaining six Democratic contests have a total of 217 pledged delegates at stake.

Clinton is vowing to continue her campaign through the last contests on June 3 even as some Democrats have called for her to end her campaign.

A candidate needs 2,025 delegates to win the nomination. Those figures don't include Florida and Michigan, which were stripped of their votes by the national party organization for holding early primaries.

Obama said today it was ``premature to start projecting how the general election is going to play out,'' since the primary contests aren't over.

Contrast With McCain

Still, in remarks that were designed to draw a clear contrast with McCain, 71, on energy policy, Obama criticized the Arizona senator for offering ``stunts'' instead of ``real solutions,'' continuing his critique of McCain's proposal for a gas-tax holiday. McCain is scheduled to visit Oregon on May 12 to talk about energy.

``When he had a chance to provide real relief for struggling families by taxing the windfall profits of oil companies, he opposed it, just like he opposed making price- gouging by oil companies a federal crime, just like he's opposed real solutions to our dependence on oil time and time again,'' Obama said at a press conference after touring PV Powered Plant, which makes inverters for homes and businesses.

McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds fired back by saying McCain ``has been a champion for energy solutions, and he didn't support the loophole-ridden, pork-barrel energy bill written for the special interests like the one Barack Obama voted for and supported.''

Clinton Fundraiser

Clinton took a break from campaign stops in primary states today for a fundraising rally in New York with her daughter Chelsea.

``I know that my mother is the strongest candidate and would be the best president,'' Chelsea Clinton, 28, said introducing her mother.

The campaign didn't immediately have financial figures for the fundraiser in a Manhattan hotel ballroom, which was attended by 1,100 people. Clinton thanked her supporters for helping to sustain her through the long campaign and predicted victory.

``We will have a unified Democratic party and we will stand together and we will defeat John McCain in November,'' she said.

Yesterday Clinton campaigned in Oregon and Kentucky, which hold primaries on May 20. Tomorrow she will hold three campaign events in West Virginia, which votes on May 13.

Clinton supporter Charles Rangel, a Democratic Congressman from New York, dismissed questions from reporters before the fundraiser about whether Clinton should drop out of the race.

``The fight's not over,'' he said.

Later, on stage before Clinton, he complained that journalists are too focused on when Clinton will end her bid for the nomination.

``What I ask the press is, when in the history of this country and the world did winners quit?'' he said to applause.

To contact the reporters on this story: Julianna Goldman in Bend, Oregon at jgoldman6@bloomberg.net; Nicholas Johnston in New York at njohnston3@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: May 10, 2008 17:14 EDT