One of Connecticut’s bigger Election Day stories played out in one of its smallest towns. State Sen. Cathy Osten, D-19th District, who until Tuesday had also served as first selectwoman of Sprague, was defeated in her attempt for a seventh term by Republican Selectwoman Cheryl Allen Blanchard, 568-469.

It had to be a humbling experience for Osten, who as co-chair of the Appropriations Committee holds one of the most influential positions in the state legislature. They waste no time in Sprague, a working-class former mill town with a steady population of just under 3,000. Blanchard was immediately sworn in as first selectwoman and Osten to her position of selectwoman. The third selectwoman, Joan Nagle, is unaffiliated but was endorsed by the Republicans.

Republicans saw an opportunity to politically rough up a powerful incumbent Democratic senator. Those campaigning for Blanchard included former Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski, state party Chairman J.R. Romano, 18th District state Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, and Sue Hatfield, a former Republican candidate for attorney general. The anti-toll group — No Tolls CT — also worked to defeat Osten, who had backed tolls.

Is taking down the state senator in her own town a prelude to unseating her a year from now? Republicans hope so. At the very least, a vulnerable Osten should attract a strong challenger.

One possibility is Norwich Mayor Peter A. Nystrom. He has repeatedly proven — both in his election as mayor and in his former service as a state representative — that he is a Republican who can get votes in that Democratic city. Pulling votes from Osten in Norwich would spell trouble for the incumbent in the district that also includes Columbia, Franklin, Hebron, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Marlborough, Montville and, of course, Sprague.

Except for Columbia, Hebron and Norwich, all the 19th District towns went for President Trump in 2016.

Nystrom, who saw the Norwich City Council flip 4-3 to the Democrats on Tuesday, might be ready for a change. He ran for the Senate seat before, in 2002, losing to Sen. Edith Prague, Osten's predecessor. The district has shifted right since.

As for Osten, while she did not declare a Senate reelection bid, she did tell me her loss in Sprague won’t deter her from running.

Sprague has its problems. The closing of its paper mills in the past decade eroded the tax base. Residents pushed back against property tax hikes and the town’s fund balance shrunk. When school spending went $1 million into the red — there’s been plenty of finger pointing about that — the town did not have the resources to cover it. Osten and Sprague needed a bailout, receiving a $500,000 interest-free loan through the state’s Municipal Accountability Review Board program, created to help distressed municipalities.

“Our message was that we really needed to get a handle on our finances and buckle down a little bit because we’re not in the best shape as a town, and try to be more cautious moving forward,” Blanchard said when I asked her about her victory.

Osten was part of negotiations, still ongoing, to repurpose a portion of one of the former paper mill properties for truck repair and maintenance by the Willimantic Waste Paper Co. The opening of a solar farm in town will bring in some tax revenue.

Still, the challenges for the new first selectwoman are daunting. The voters have spoken, said Osten, who promised to give the new head honcho the space she needs to lead.

“I’m going to be more than happy to let her solve all the problems that are facing the town of Sprague,” said Osten.

Paul Choiniere is the editorial page editor.