SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday amped up her calls for a debate with Sen. Barack Obama, proposing a one-on-one moderator-free debate before the May 6 Indiana primary.

"The people of Indiana deserve a real, one-on-one debate, where Sen. Obama and I, right here in Indiana, discuss these issues," Mrs. Clinton told a crowd of 3,000 gathered at the Coveleski stadium downtown.

"Just the two of us, going for 90 minutes, asking and answering questions," she said. "We'll set whatever rules seem fair."

The Obama campaign turned her down: "Over the next 10 days, we believe it's important to talk directly to the voters of Indiana and North Carolina about fixing our economy, cutting the cost of health care and ending a war in Iraq that never should have been authorized in the first place," the campaign said in a statement.

Trailing in delegates and the popular vote, Mrs. Clinton has been stepping up the pressure on Mr. Obama for more debates in advance of the primaries a week from Tuesday in Indiana and North Carolina.

Mrs. Clinton argued that Mr. Obama won't debate because he's unhappy with the questions posed by the ABC moderators during their April 16 debate in the week before the Pennsylvania primary. Afterward, Mr. Obama complained that the debate focused too much on political trivia and too little on real issues.

On the campaign trail yesterday, he sounded much the same theme, The Associated Press reported.

"I was convinced that the American people were tired of the politics that's all about tearing each other down. The American people were tired of spin and PR, they wanted straight talk and honesty from their elected officials," Mr. Obama said at a town hall meeting in the aging industrial city of Anderson, Ind.

"If you watched the last few weeks of this campaign, you'd think that all politics is about is negative ads and bickering and arguing, gaffes and sideline issues," said Mr. Obama. "There's no serious discussion about how to bring jobs back, to Anderson."

Mrs. Clinton's strong showing in Pennsylvania hasn't carried over to the preference polls in Indiana, a dependably Republican state in presidential elections. According to the most recent statewide poll commissioned by the South Bend Tribune and three television stations, Mr. Obama is leading Mrs. Clinton by 1 point.

Still, supporters waiting in line yesterday in South Bend said they were re-energized by Mrs. Clinton's 10-point win in Pennsylvania last week.

Mrs. Clinton steered clear of jabs against Mr. Obama in her talk, instead saying it was a "tribute to the Democratic Party" to have a woman and an African American vying for the nomination.

"No matter what happens," she said, "that will always be a signature accomplishment."

Mrs. Clinton's speech touched on her plans for a universal healthcare system, making higher education more affordable, removing troops from Iraq and ending the No Child Left Behind Act, passed by Congress in early 2001.

Mrs. Clinton took a hard line against health insurance companies, who she said discriminate on the basis of illness.

"I think it's un-American," she said. "It makes no moral or economic sense. It's wrong."

She said she would "open up" an existing program that provides health insurance for members of Congress and federal employees.

"If it's good enough for member of Congress, it's good enough for every Hoosier and every American," she said.

Mrs. Clinton's statements on higher education resonated with April Stahl of South Bend, who is "doing what she can" to pay for her daughter's education at Indiana University-South Bend. Ms. Stahl, 45, called Mrs. Clinton's talk "a tear-jerker."

"I'll get on the phones, I'll hand out flyers," to get Mrs. Clinton elected, she said.

Others were not so sure. Abbi and Ryan White-Stevens went to the rally to gauge "Clinton's perspective on things" before making a decision. Though Ryan, 33, has voted Republican in the past, he said he was reconsidering voting Democratic. A chaplain at a local homeless shelter, he said evaluates candidates on "their moral judgment."

But Mrs. Clinton's policies might focus too much on America and not enough on the rest of the world, he said after the rally.

Mrs. Clinton's remarks on "turning the economy around" and bringing the troops home seemed to draw the loudest applause.

"How unfair is it that a Wall Street money manager making $50 million dollars a year would pay a lower percentage of his income in taxes than a teacher or a nurse or a truck driver right here in South Bend making less than $50,000?" she said.

Many in the crowd, though firm Clinton supporters, said they will still vote for Mr. Obama should he receive the nomination.

This was Mrs. Clinton's third visit to the South Bend area during the primary campaign. She spoke at a local high school March 28 and at an AM General Humvee plant April 12.