Carlos Beruff

The tough-as-nails founder of Medallion Home, 58, has the money to play elite-level politics. A major Republican donor and Rick Scott appointee, Beruff did away with faculty tenure at State College of Florida and reduced payroll and environmental oversight at SWFMD. He’s running for a U.S. Senate seat as a bottom-line businessman who wants to right the wrongs he says Democrats and Obama (whom he called an “animal”) have inflicted on his country. He wasn’t scared off by Marco Rubio’s late entry into the race (by staying in he may be amassing political capital for a future run for governor); whether or not he wins, he’s likely to stay a player in this red state.