Washington: Democrat front-runner Barack Obama's White House bid received a fresh momentum today as he secured the support of three more superdelegates, including a former backer of his rival Hillary Clinton.

New Jersey representative Donald Payne, who had earlier backed Clinton for President, defected to the African-American Senator, while previously uncommitted lawmaker Peter DeFazio of Oregon also pledged his backing.

The American Federation of Government Employees threw its weight behind Obama and its President John Gage, an uncommitted superdelegate to the Democrat National Convention, said he is also personally endorsing the Illinois lawmaker.

"Our people, I think, recognise the enthusiasm and vitality behind Senator Obama's campaign," Gage said.

According to an AP tally, the suuperdelegate count is now Clinton, 271.5,and Obama, 266,a huge shift since the days when the former first lady boasted about a 60-plus lead in the crucial voting bloc.

Obama's race for Democrat presidential nomination had received a boost on Tuesday, when he clinched a convincing victory in the North Carolina primary and held Clinton to a narrow win in Indiana.

While Clinton is refusing to concede defeat and is hoping a victory in Tuesday's West Virginia primary will keep her stuttering campaign alive, Obama is starting to focus instead on his Republican opponent John McCain, ABC News reported.

Obama's team is considering using some of his campaign cash to fund ads against McCain, it said.

Source : PTI