24. Kathleen Rice

First-time politician and devoted prosecutor Kathleen Rice shocked Nassau County when she defeated longtime incumbent District Attorney Denis Dillon. It truly was the death knell for what remained of the Nassau GOP machine. Rice came into office promising tougher trials, fewer plea bargains and an aggressive war against DWI. Although her first few months have not changed the world, we expect Rice will turn it around and begin to make good on her campaign promises. She is well-respected and accomplished, having worked as a prosecutor in Brooklyn and as Assistant U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia. In fact, she interned for Dillon way back in the day. A Garden City native, Rice aims to make Nassau’s residents proud. She seems like the type to do just that.