30. Jon Cooper

One of Long Island’s most progressive politicians and one of the few anywhere to be openly gay, the Lloyd Harbor Democrat is known for lifesaving legislation. In ’03 he championed Suffolk’s ban of the diet supplement ephedra, a measure that was subsequently adopted nationwide. But this year his nemesis, Republican Allan Binder, is chairman of the Legislature’s new Rules Committee. If Cooper doesn’t forge alliances with other Republicans, he could find himself shy of the votes he needs to keep making the kind of headlines he has made in the past.