38. Joe Mondello

Long the kingmaker in Nassau County politics—he’s held the throne since 1983—Mondello’s power has diminished since Suozzi and the Dems took charge. Losing the county executive seat and the Legislature began the downward trend, which may have led to Mondello losing his national Republican committeeman’s seat to Gov. George Pataki’s handpicked state chairman last November. But this is a cyclical business where anything can happen, and Mondello still calls the shots and runs a tight ship. Should his old friend Greg Peterson hold his own against Suozzi and a couple hotly contested legislative seats go the GOP’s way, Mondello could be right back on top and potentially play spoiler to Suozzi’s statewide ambitions.