Insiders dish on debate night

And Speaker's wine picks

ABOVE THE FOLD

ABOUT LAST NIGHT — Wannabe Grit leaders went fisticuffs again for the third of five party-sanctioned debates in Toronto — and we watched it closely so you didn’t have to. Here are the hot takes from party insiders:

“It was the nice olympics and everybody won,” texted DAVID VALENTIN, senior Liberal operative and head of Liaison Strategies.

“All four candidates once again proved that they already have a deeper understanding of the issues concerning Ontario voters than DOUG FORD has managed to grasp after five years in office,” said THERESA LUBOWITZ, a longtime Liberal fundraiser, organizer and ex-staffer. “When it comes to who has grown the most as a candidate over the course of the leadership race to date, there’s no question it’s NATE ERSKINE-SMITH who continues to win these debates with his clear and accessible messaging.”

A senior adviser close to frontrunner BONNIE CROMBIE DM’ed: “I obviously have eyes and ears and that was not totally great for Bonnie. She needs to b…