ALBANY – A gravitational shift is taking place on the second floor of the Capitol building, where an office that once tugged weakly at political ambition is suddenly coveted. The desk belongs to Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat who has redefined the role of the state attorney general as he turns his attention to becoming the next governor of New York.

Though the 2006 race for governor would normally take precedence, Mr. Spitzer’s early prospects for prevailing are so strong that the real political energy here is being expended on the 2006 race to fill his current job. This is explained partly because of Mr. Spitzer’s early decision to run for governor.

The main reason, though, appears to be the attention he has brought to the office. Candidates do not talk about running for attorney general; they talk about carrying on the legacy of Mr. Spitzer.

A popular figure nationally, thanks to groundbreaking settlements against the securities and investment banking industries, Mr. Spitzer now finds himself with commanding leads over Governor Pataki, in popularity, polls, and money.

Mr. Spitzer has legions of adoring fans. Crowds flock to his speeches, and their questions suggest more than mere support. Mr. Spitzer frequently asks reporters and lecture audiences to ask him tough questions. But, at a recent talk at the College of St. Rose in Albany, the hardest question he faced, based on the time it took to respond, was: “How did you become so good?”

Mr. Spitzer’s popularity is also reflected in the polls. A Zogby poll released yesterday confirmed what others had already suggested: In a head-to-head race against Mr. Pataki, Mr. Spitzer would win in a walk. The poll said Mr. Spitzer leads Mr. Pataki 49% to 31%.The governor has yet to say whether he intends to seek another term.

Mr. Spitzer’s campaign chest is also flush with cash. As of the January 15 filing deadline with the state Board of Elections, his $7.9 million was more than three times the $2.3 million reported by Mr. Pataki’s re-election committee.

“The governor’s re-elect numbers are among the worst I’ve ever seen,” the poll director, John Zogby, said in reference to the 19% of those surveyed indicating that Mr. Pataki should seek another term. “Anything can happen, but I’d sharpen up my resume if I were him.”

Several state Democrats have already sharpened their resumes and their campaign skills to focus on the attorney general race. They’ve leaped into the breach, and campaign funds are flowing in from across the state and, in some cases, the nation. With Mr. Spitzer’s ascendancy looking inevitable, the race to replace him is starting to heat up.

Much of the excitement can be chalked up to fallout from Mr. Spitzer’s celebrity status. The attorney general’s office now exists in a changed landscape.

Far from toiling in obscurity, candidates for the position can now expect to walk directly onto the national stage in a way that even Mr. Pataki has failed to do in 10 years as governor. Thanks to Mr. Spitzer, even obscure legislators can dream of going from backwater politics to the pages of Business Week overnight.

That the office has achieved this kind of notice is underscored by the candidacy of Assemblyman Michael Gianaris, a Democrat from Queens, who has collected large sums of money at fundraising events outside the state. Mr. Gianaris, once the Queens County representative for Governor Cuomo, jokes of making campaign shirts that list the cities he has visited to raise funds. It would include, among other cities, New Orleans, St. Petersburg, Fla., Dallas, and Boston.

Mr. Gianaris said much of this attention comes from support among Americans of Greek descent. But, he said, Mr. Spitzer’s notoriety has also helped. “It’s a combination of things,” Mr. Gianaris said of a war chest that had grown to $1.4 million as of mid-January. “The community tends to stick together. And when the office being sought is as prominent as Eliot Spitzer has made New York’s attorney general’s office, the excitement in the community is greater than it would normally be.”

Yet, according to the candidates, money in this race may not win the day.

Andrew Cuomo, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor three years ago, had $1.2 million left over from that race as of the January filing date. A spokeswoman for Mr. Cuomo, Ashley Cotton, would not say whether the money will be used to mount a run for Mr. Spitzer’s office. “Yes, the money in the gubernatorial account is transferable for an attorney general’s race,” she said in an e-mail message last week.

Mr. Cuomo’s chances could be hamstrung before an election even takes place. Mr. Cuomo angered some top Democrats by vowing to challenge the party establishment late in the governor’s race. Leftover acrimony from that race could make it difficult for Mr. Cuomo to secure the Democratic committee votes necessary to get on the ballot in 2006.

The executive director of the state Democratic Committee, Rodney Capel, said competition makes for a better race. “It’s a good thing to have competition in the elections,” Mr. Capel said. “The candidates who are running all represent different constituencies. I know they will all run a positive, credible campaign.”

In addition to Mr. Gianaris, Democratic candidates who have made their campaigns public include Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, of Westchester, Charles King, a Manhattan attorney who ran for lieutenant governor alongside Mr. Cuomo, and Mark Green, the former public advocate of New York City. Several other potential candidates are rumored to be thinking about the race but have not officially filed campaign finance accounts for the race with the state Board of Elections.

No Republicans have officially thrown their hat in the ring. The Westchester County district attorney, Jeanine Pirro, is said to be interested in the post. But a spokeswoman said that her boss is “focused on 2005, not 2006.”

Senator Michael Balboni, a Republican of Nassau County, is also said to desire the office, but his spokeswoman said he had yet to decide.

Of the official Democratic candidates, Mr. Gianaris is the clear money leader. He is followed by Mr. Green, who reported $698,000 in January; Mr. Brodsky, who reported $574,000; and Mr. King, who reported $283,000.

Mr. Brodsky said he is the candidate to beat because of reforms he has pushed while chairman of the Assembly’s Committee on Corporations, Authorities, and Commissions. He has led an investigation into abuses at the Empire State Development Corporation and uncovered abuse at the Canal Corporation related to the sale of development rights.

But Mr. Brodsky saved what might be his strongest selling point for last. “For better or worse, the work I’ve been doing has really attracted an enormous amount of attention in ways that are parallel to the work Eliot has done in market reform,” Mr. Brodsky said. “As I go around the state there’s a very powerful interest in seeing those reform tools brought to government, and I’m the only one who is going to be doing anything serious in terms of government action.”

Mr. King agreed that the office of attorney general should be filled by a reformer, but said his reform agenda would focus on public education instead of financial markets.

“I think the big challenge is how you take Spitzer’s innovations and creativity and apply it to the big issues facing New Yorkers today,” Mr. King said. “In my view, those issues are education, health care, and the third is security. You have to attack Sesame Street the same way Eliot Spitzer attacked Wall Street.”