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John Cullerton

Age: 65

Occupation: President, Illinois Senate

Cullerton doesn’t get the same attention as his House counterpart, Speaker Madigan (No. 2). Still, it was Cullerton’s counsel that insiders say ultimately led to the speaker’s change of heart on marriage equality, and it was his alternative pension plan that forced Madigan to draft his own. If that law doesn’t hold up in the courts, Cullerton’s plan is ready to go.