Amy Chozick reports on the presidential race.

For anyone who thinks the presidential election is a done deal, Barack Obama has some words of advice.

“For those of you who are feeling giddy or cocky or think this is all set, I just have two words for you: New Hampshire,” Obama told donors at a fund-raising breakfast at the Metropolitan Club in Manhattan, according to a pool report distributed by the campaign. “I’ve been in these positions before when we were favored and the press starts getting carried away and we end up getting spanked.”

Obama was, of course, referring to his loss in the New Hampshire primary to Sen. Hillary Clinton. After Obama’s big win in the Iowa caucus, he led headily in New Hampshire polls and the press had largely crowned him the presumptive winner. Instead, his loss to Clinton kicked off a prolonged primary battle.

“That’s another good lesson that Hillary Clinton taught me, so we want to make sure that we are closing strong, running through the tape,” Obama said.

Some 120 donors gathered at the ornate Metropolitan Club on Fifth Avenue. Each had contributed $38,000 to hear Obama speak the morning after the third and final presidential debate against GOP presidential hopeful John McCain. Attendees included business executives like Richard Parsons, chairman of Time Warner Inc. and James Wolfensohn, former World Bank president.

Obama told the group that he was going to need their help, not only financially in the waning days of the campaign, but also in an Obama administration should he be elected.

“Once we’re done, there is extraordinary expertise in this room and we’re going to need good advice,” Obama said. “And who knows, there might be even some of you who decide that you want to spend a little time in government. We’re going to need people who can roll up their sleeves and make sure that Washington and Wall Street and the country as a whole are working.”

While the seemingly endless campaign is coming to an end, Obama said big challenges are just beginning. “One of the things that I think we have to remember is that we are now 19 days, not from the end, but from the beginning. The amount of work that will be involved for the next president is going to be extraordinary,” he said. “What we want to do in these 19 days is show the same passion for Americans who are struggling out there, show the same dedication, show the same stick-to-it-ness, show the same steadiness that’s going to be required in guiding this country past some very difficult times.”