10. Jay Jacobs

Jay Jacobs is a student of history; as such, he has learned from the political mistakes of others and masterminded a local political machine that continues to confound the Nassau Republicans. Early critics of Jacobs viewed him as a one-candidate leader with all his eggs in Tom Suozzi’s basket. But after quelling a coup attempt in the Legislature to retain a Democratic majority, backing Craig Johnson’s (D-Port Washington) successful bid for the Senate seat vacated by Michael Balboni, raising millions of dollars for Sen. Hillary Clinton and mending the fence between County Executive Suozzi and former Gov. Spitzer, Jacobs has emerged as a force to be reckoned with both locally and nationally.