Peer Steinbrück
In 1969 he joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). In 1993 he became Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure in the State of Schleswig-Holstein. In 1998 he changed to the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and became Secretary for Infrastructure, up from 2000 Secretary of Finance. In 2000 he was elected into the State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia.