The Democratic Party boss of Queens, Thomas Manton, wielded so much political clout in the city that even Mayor Bloomberg, a Republican, went to him for advice.

With Manton’s death during the weekend, some analysts say the Queens political apparatus he created during his 20-year reign will be tested when a new party boss steps in.

Elected officials and political analysts in Queens say Manton’s political protégé, Rep. Joseph Crowley, who Mr. Manton handpicked to succeed him in Congress, is the obvious successor.

One problem: Mr. Crowley’s position in Congress seems to prohibit him from running a political organization that raises money, which is not regulated by federal campaign finance rules. If Mr. Crowley is tapped, election experts said, the party might have to change the way it raises and spends money.

Either way, the Democratic Party in Queens is entering a new chapter without its soft-spoken leader, who built an operation that got its candidates elected with ease and its friends into key jobs throughout city and state government.

Mr. Crowley, who was elected to Congress in 1998 and represents a district that straddles Queens and the Bronx, would not talk politics yesterday.

“Right now, my great friend has just passed and I’m not going to entertain what the future of the party is,” he told reporters after a news conference focusing on the blackout in Queens. “What I can say is Tom Manton has left this party in the best condition it could be left in.”

Others also chose to praise Manton, rather than speculate about what comes next.

Mr. Bloomberg, who has garnered a reputation for his political independence, said he “reached out” to Manton when he was considering running for office in 2001, and got advice from him as recently as three months ago.

“I’ll never forget we had a great lunch at an Italian restaurant, where he regaled me with stories of what politics in New York City was really all about,” Mr. Bloomberg said yesterday.

Several elected officials of Queens said they expected Manton’s successor, whoever it is, to maintain the party’s position as a local powerhouse.

Manton and his party have been the deciding factor in crowning all three City Council speakers. He had a front-row seat when the current speaker, Christine Quinn, was elected in January, and looked on like a proud father as she made her acceptance speech. In exchange for delivering blocs of votes from his delegation, Manton got his elected officials plum committee chairmanships in the council.

“The big question is, can Joe Crowley do what Manton did and that is hold the party together?” a professor of public affairs at Baruch College, Douglas Muzzio, said.

This is expected to be a less tumultuous time than when Manton was elected. He was chosen for the position after the party leader, Donald Manes, killed himself amid allegations of bribes and other corruption. Manton steered the party in a new direction. Yesterday, he was praised for pushing the party to be more inclusive of minorities and for listening to local leaders rather than making unilateral decision.

Some say that if Mr. Crowley wants the job, he’s going to have find a way to do it without violating the federal campaign finance reforms enacted in 2002, which ban members of congress from raising so-call soft money.

It has been suggested that the party could create a separate entity to raise and spend money from corporations and other donors whose contributions are limited or banned under federal election law.

“It’s real hard to see how a member of Congress can function as a county leader,” a state senator who is an election lawyer, Marty Connor, said.

A political consultant, Scott Levenson, said he’s confident the party can legally instate Mr. Crowley if it decides to.

“I presume they’ve had ample time to look at this ruling and adjust the processes so that Crowley can become county leader,” Mr. Levenson said.