A Barack Obama presidency and stronger Democratic majorities on Capitol Hill signal a power shift beyond the White House and Congress.

Expect new faces in corporate offices and trade association suites downtown, even if Democrats don’t imitate the K Street Project, the campaign by Republicans to fill lobbying slots with their own.

Corporate offices and trade associations, more valuable as political entities because they offer access to large numbers of workers, have largely remained Republican. Those include trade groups that represent sectors of the economy — like energy and financial services — that are likely to see the most legislative activity in the 111th Congress.

“Business is going to have to model their approach to Washington [in a way] more receptive to this White House,” said Joshua Ackil, a former senior aide to the Clinton White House. After Democrats took over Congress in 2007, Ackil started his own lobbying firm, Franklin Square Group, with fellow Democrat Matt Tanielian.

GOP aides and lobbyists have long insisted that corporations didn’t need to be pressured to react to the new power structure in Washington ushered in by the GOP takeover in 1994. Corporate America responded on its own, like a company altering its product line to meet the needs of a changing marketplace. Whether forced or not, Democrats now see themselves as the beneficiaries of K Street’s flexibility.

“It is going to happen without any arm-twisting,” said Rick Kessler, president of Dow Lohnes Government Strategies. “It is ironic that we Democrats are going to benefit from Tom DeLay’s work.”

Last week, Kerry Knott, a former aide to House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas), was replaced as head of Comcast’s government affairs office by Melissa Maxfield, a former aide to then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.).

Lobbyists expect to see more companies make similar moves heading into next year.

But the change could take as long as the just-completed campaign did, if not longer. One immediate obstacle: There are a limited number of Democrats to go around.

The Barack Obama campaign sought to keep lobbyists at arm’s length by not accepting their political contributions. But an Obama administration is likely to raid lobbying firms as well as congressional offices for talent. David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist, said in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that lobbyists will have a place in the administration. They just won’t be able to work on issues that affect their former employers or clients.

So, at the same time lobbying firms, companies and trade groups want to hire Democrats, they have a new competitor for the available talent; the new Democratic White House.

“It’s going to take a little bit of time to see who wants to work in the administration,” said Ivan Adler, an executive recruiter at the McCormick Group.

More than 3,000 new positions will come open due to the new administration, and already, “The demand for Democrats is pretty high and the supply of those who want the jobs is pretty low,” Adler said.

Several lobbyists said on background that they would be willing to quit for a position in the new administration. “I would take this opportunity to switch jobs,” one said.

Prospective employers are particularly focused on Democrats with Senate experience, Adler said.

Although Democrats expanded their narrow majority on Tuesday, they were still unlikely to reach the 60 votes needed to block filibusters. Companies will still face an easier time blocking bad bills in the upper chamber than in the House, where the rules favor the majority party.

“Potential clients will need to recognize they need to build coalitions to get goals completed. You are going to have to reach across the aisle to achieve those things,” said Jessica Lenard, vice president for Dow Lohnes.