Who won the Ontario leaders' debate?

Who won Tuesday night's Ontario leaders' debate? Who landed the strongest blows, and who came out looking most likely to be premier?

Our experts followed along and weigh in with their opinions.

So who won?

Thomas Bink: I’ll say Tim Hudak won. Granted, I don’t think he came off any less smarmy and his folksy tone got a little old, but he made the strongest points throughout the debate. Wynne was just tap-dancing on a hotplate the whole time, she just proved that the Liberals have been in power too long. I was hoping to like Andrea Horwath, but when she wasn’t in “Steeltown Scrapper” mode, she was promising everything under the sun, which I don’t think is realistic. I’m not convinced the Conservatives will make the best government, but I think Hudak was the clear winner in the debate.

Andy Radia: I don't think there was a clear winner but I'll give my nod to Tim Hudak as well. He was poised and polished and had some good shots against Wynne with regard to the gas plant scandal. And I liked the folksy anecdotes about his family. I think it makes him look more sincere, more human. I think, moving forward, that will help him engage with voters.

Matthew Coutts: Tim Hudak won, but that can be attributed almost as much to Kathleen Wynne and Andrea Horwath going out of their way to appear uncomfortable and unprepared as it can his own performance. Horwath seemed hesitant and unsure when she was speaking; she might have benefited from a debate format that allowed for more conflict. And Wynne seemed to lose herself in long, complicated answers. Even if they were honest and on point they were too easily dismissed as poli-talk. That’s where Hudak excelled. He stayed on message, paused often enough to seem confident and avoided talking about his faulty math. His promise to quit if his jobs plan failed may ultimately be meaningless, but it stole the show.

Was there a knockout blow?

Bink: Sadly, no knockout. But there sure were a lot of good jabs, mostly at the expense of Kathleen Wynne, and mostly over the gas plant scandal. I have to say, it was great to get that issue out early, and it sure had Wynne swimming upstream for the rest of the debate. I thought Horwath actually landed the strongest blows, which may benefit Hudak in the end if both ‘left’ parties came off shrill and aggressive to voters.

Radia: No, there wasn't a knockout blow, but we came close early on when Wynne was being questioned about the gas plant scandal. I especially enjoyed the opposition leaders trying to evoke the Brian Mulroney to John Turner 'you had a choice' moment asking the Liberal leader why she signed off on the gas plant documents during the 2011 campaign.

Coutts: I think Andy’s right. The gas plant stuff came so early that it set the tone for the debate, maybe that’s why Wynne looked so shaky. Points also go to Hudak for managing to point out every time Wynne seemed to evade an answer. Perhaps the best single blow came from Wynne when she told Hudak, "There is no evidence that your plan would create a million jobs." It came at an important moment in the conversation, though it sure wasn’t a knockout.

Who made the strongest point in the debate?

Bink: The answer might be what Andy pointed out, when Horwath and Hudak challenged Wynne on signing off on the gas plant documents. That was pretty powerful. I also liked the fact that Hudak pounded home the fact that Wynne’s plans are all about spending, and there’s no way to spend your way out of a deficit. He could have hit that point a bit harder, but for all the talk about the economy, I think that’s a clear differentiation between the Liberals and the Conservatives.

Coutts: The strongest point of the night was definitely Tim Hudak's promise that he would resign if his Million Jobs Plan didn't succeed. The question of faulty math in the plan has become his Achilles heel. He can't backtrack from it, but the Liberals and NDP have been scoring serious points. Saying he was willing to resign makes it seem like he's pushing all his chips into the pot. Joe Average may value that more than what an economist has to say about a document he probably hasn't read, anyway.

Radia: I agree with both of you there: Hudak was strong with his comments/questions on the gas plant and on the economy. I think that one thing he did is solidify and motivate his base (the 35 per cent to 40 per cent of Conservative voters) to come out and vote on June 12. I think that's going to be huge considering low voter turnout rates.

OK, final question. What will be your lasting memory from the debate?

Bink: I’ll probably remember Wynne doing a soft-shoe all night, deflecting very pointed arrows from both Hudak and Horwath. I’ll remember her fighting to get her positive points out, waving her arms and apologizing two minutes into the discussion. I actually feel kind of sorry for Wynne, inheriting a scandal-ridden government well past its prime. But not sorry enough to vote for her.

Coutts: The moment I’ll remember is Kathleen Wynne beginning her closing argument by saying, “I don’t know all of you, obviously.” Seriously? That needed to be pointed out? She got to end the entire debate by saying literally anything she wanted to and that’s how she starts? It was so bizarre that the rest of her comments were drowned out by the angry buzzing in my ears.

Radia: My lasting memory of will be a visibly uncomfortable Kathleen Wynne apologizing for the gas plant scandal. First of all, it's rare to see a politician actually apologize for something. I honestly don't think it will change anybody's mind – either way – but it was interesting and a little odd that once she started apologizing she couldn't stop.

Andy Radia is the politics expert for Yahoo Canada News. Matt Coutts is Yahoo Canada's national affairs writer, and Thomas Bink is the managing editor of News.