Ontario leaders’ debate: analysis

TORONTO, Ont. – There were no magic moments, no knock-out punches as all three Ontario leaders survived the television debate Tuesday night.

They were all noteworthy in their own way, but whether their performance was vote-changing is another matter.

A poll taken after the debate found Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty won the night, but NDP Leader Andrea Horwath impressed voters the most.

The Ipsos Reid poll, done for Global News, found that 67 per cent of respondents had an improved impression of Horwath after watching the debate.

Twenty-nine per cent of those who watched said their impression of McGuinty improved, while 37 per cent of respondents thought more of Conservative Leader Tim Hudak than they did before the debate.

In terms of the debate itself, a confident-looking and sounding Horwath, positioned between two angry men, could get the biggest post-debate benefit from viewers, who were seeing and judging her for the very first time.

McGuinty used his incumbent advantage to broaden the discussion into wider economic issues, although the worldwide economic crises didn’t even get a mention.

Hudak stuck to his well-rehearsed lines, telling McGuinty that people don’t believe him anymore.

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For more of political affairs specialist John Stall’s analysis of the debate, click here to read his blog
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