Lots of New York Democrats are rooting for Senator Kerry to beat President Bush. But some are rooting a little bit harder than others.

The particularly eager ones are the current and former elected officials who endorsed Mr. Kerry early in the race, raised money for him, and campaigned hard for him in swing states. As president, Mr. Kerry would be in a position to return those favors in a big way, either by appointing them to jobs in his administration or lending his prestige and fund-raising clout to their future campaigns.

Democrats and political observers say Mr. Kerry’s gratitude, if he gets the chance to exercise it from the White House, could transform the political landscape of New York State. The outcome of the presidential election, which is two weeks from tomorrow, will not only affect the war on terrorism and federal tax rates, but could also help to pick the next mayor of New York City in 2005, and the next governor and attorney general of New York state in 2006.

If, for example, Mr. Kerry drafts Attorney General Eliot Spitzer to be the attorney general of the United States, that would take Mr. Spitzer out of the race for governor. Mr. Spitzer remained neutral early in the presidential campaign. But he traveled to Albuquerque, N.M., in February to endorse Mr. Kerry before the Massachusetts senator locked up the nomination, and Mr. Spitzer has spoken on Mr. Kerry’s behalf several times since.

Regardless of any obligation he feels, Mr. Kerry may want to capitalize on Mr. Spitzer’s reputation as an aggressive corporate watchdog, which he built in a series of lawsuits against Wall Street firms and other financial giants.

People close to Mr. Spitzer are playing down the chance that he would go to Washington, but many Democrats see it as a strong possibility. “If you’re 45 years old, do you turn down being attorney general of the United States?” one Democratic operative said. “Not many people have, let’s put it that way.”

Mr. Spitzer’s departure would clear the way for Senator Schumer to seek the governor’s office. But Mr. Schumer might choose to remain in Washington to enjoy what could be enhanced clout under a Democratic president. He will be particularly likely to stay if Democrats manage to win a majority in the Senate, which would put him in position for a committee chairmanship.

The absence of Messrs. Spitzer and Schumer would clear a path to the governor’s office for other Democrats, such as Alan Hevesi, the state comptroller; Thomas Suozzi, the Nassau County executive, and Andrew Cuomo, the housing secretary under President Clinton and the son of the former governor, Mario Cuomo. On the other hand, Governor Pataki – or whoever replaces him as the Republican candidate – would stand a better chance of winning against these candidates than he would against Mr. Spitzer or Mr. Schumer.

Mr. Kerry could have a similar effect on the mayoral race. One of the first New York Democrats to endorse him last year was the president of Manhattan, Virginia Fields, who is one of several Democrats considering challenging Mayor Bloomberg next year.

“If President-elect Kerry offered her almost anything credible, most people guess she would take it,” one prominent Democrat said. This Democrat said Ms. Fields’s departure would make it more likely that minority voters would unify behind the former president of the Bronx, Fernando Ferrer, allowing him to win the party primary without the need for a run-off vote.

Another early Kerry supporter – and the cochairman of his New York campaign – is Mark Green, who narrowly lost the mayoral race to Mr. Bloomberg in 2001 and is now preparing to run for attorney general in 2006. Some Democrats said Mr. Green is intent on staying in New York, while others say he is interested in a federal position. Either way, having a relationship with a newly elected president would help.

“It’s pretty unlikely a sitting president gets involved in a primary of his own party,” one Democrat said. “However, Kerry’s a very loyal guy with a good mind and memory. There are a lot of ways he could appear with a candidate and…tell his top donors, ‘This is a good guy.’ “

Another New Yorkers who stands to benefit from his ties to Mr. Kerry is a congressman from Queens, Gregory Meeks. Some observers say he could be in line for a cabinet post, while others say he is more likely to stay in Congress in hopes of running for senator some day.

“Meeks, no matter what, is one of the big winners here,” said a professor of public policy at Baruch College, Douglas Muzzio. “Being an early supporter of the president certainly gives him access and gives him a voice.”

A Democratic political consultant, Hank Sheinkopf, said Ms. Fields, Mr. Green, and Mr. Meeks have the most to gain from a Kerry victory.

“In my experience presidents-elect tend to reward those who were there early, when the going was toughest,” Mr. Sheinkopf said. “And those three were there earliest and did not waver.”

The short list of New York Democrats who got behind Mr. Kerry in early 2003 includes two other members of the House of Representatives – Carolyn Maloney of Manhattan, and Timothy Bishop of Long Island – and two members of the state Assembly, Scott Stringer of Manhattan and Jeffrey Dinowitz of the Bronx.

Another New York Democrat building up credit with Mr. Kerry is Liz Holtzman, the former congresswoman and district attorney of Brooklyn, who is involved in efforts to keep Ralph Nader off the ballot in swing states.

Democrats said early backers of Mr. Kerry’s running-mate, Senator Edwards of North Carolina, would also have extra pull with a Kerry administration. They include City Council Member Bill de Blasio of Brooklyn and Assemblyman Jeffrey Klein of the Bronx, who is currently running for a state Senate seat.

A victory by Mr. Kerry wouldn’t necessarily work out so well for all Democrats, Senator Clinton among them. A Kerry victory would likely force Mrs. Clinton to postpone a run for president to 2012 from 2008. Still, Ms. Clinton has done her part for the Democratic ticket, including a stint chatting up reporters in “Spin Alley” after the second presidential debate.

Mr. Muzzio foresees the potential for a domino effect, as higher-ranking politicians move into the Kerry administration, leaving openings to be filled by those in the middle and lower ranks. Of course, that assumes there is going to be a Kerry administration – not a sure thing, but something for which a lot of New York Democratic politicians are hoping.