“I plan to be the very best state representative we’ve had,” Carruthers told the Journal-News on Tuesday night. “I plan on working on jobs, health care, I really want to work on our homelessness issue here in town, in both Hamilton and Fairfield and actually it’s falling into Ross now. And I want to work on the opioid issue — it’s tremendous, and it’s touched everyone’s lives.”

Carruthers, who had not yet spoken with Vaughn, said, when they did talk, “I think I will just say it was a great race, and we played fair. And no matter what, we’ll always be sorority sisters.”

Vaughn praised her campaign workers.

“I think my team did an amazing job,” she said. “I think it’s unfortunate when you have a campaign that’s strong, you have a candidate that’s strong, but in this case, perhaps the best woman didn’t win, is my opinion.”

Carruthers said she was very touched by how well people treated her, and how one woman at a polling place, noticed her hands were cold from standing outside voting locations all day.

“And she went back to her car and got a pair of gloves for me. It moved me to tears. It really did,” Carruthers said.

The 51st District includes the cities of Hamilton and Fairfield, plus all or parts of Ross, Fairfield and St. Clair townships.