Meade ran for re-election last year, and was widely presumed to win re-election easily.
In a shock twist on election night, Conservative Gina Kertousin actually led Meade in the vote counting, something pundits and experts from both political parties did not see coming.
Even the Kertousin campaign was stunned. "We really were blown away," said Carol Carnes, campaign manager for Kertousin, told reporters a week after election night.
But after weeks of recounts, and litigation, Meade was finally declared the winner on Friday.
Additional ballots from overseas and military voters, and ballots that were cast at the last second before the voting deadline, all buoyed Meade back into the lead.
She ended up winning re-election by a sliver: her eventual lead was just around 26,000 votes out of more than 6.4 million cast.
In response to the latest tally, the Kertousin campaign said it is still weighing its legal options, and may continue litigation.
But state Conservative Party leaders are inclined to let the latest count stand.
"It's highly unlikely we'd win, and it would not be good PR for the party or for Gina," said Wilkonshire state party Vice Chairwoman Galena Kidman.
Kertousin herself has not publicly since the latest election results were released Friday, but sources close to her say she is slated to make a statement tomorrow.
"Even if she does end up losing this race, by a thimble-full, it's still quite impressive, because the polls had her way down," said Kidman. "[Kertousin] has a reason to be proud of herself and her campaign."
Still, a loss is a loss. Coming close doesn't matter in elections. If Meade's win stands, it means Meade will continue in the position she has held since 2015, when she was appointed by then-Governor Caroline Jepsey to replace Secretary of State Jan Van Ness, who won election to the Federal Senate.
Meade has remained popular since her appointment. She previously beat Kertousin 65%-35% in 2016, and 56%-42% in 2020.
It's unclear what a third loss will mean for Kertousin, who raised far more money this time around than her two other previous tries for the office.
She seems to have inherited Wilkonshire's "Conservative woman curse," a phenomenon that was identified and labeled after former Christon Mayor Tara Hadley lost two close races for governor, and then lost a third attempt in 2024 in the CNS primary.
"For whatever reason, Conservative women have not fared well in Wilkonshire," said outgoing federal Sen. Bob Mellon. "I don't know why. I think all the female candidates we've put forth have been strong candidates with impressive resumes and great ideas. I think it's more that they have run against strong candidates."
Nationalist women have had success in Wilkonshire. Former Gov. Caroline Jepsey was elected to two terms. Sen. Jan Van Ness continues to serve the state. Former Sens. Sylvea Stone and Terry Branlin were elected but then lost re-election. However, both are still involved in state politics and considering future runs for office.
After three consecutive losses, it will be difficult for Kertousin to move forward politically. Investors and donors are harder to come by after multiple losses. And state party leaders will be looking for a fresh face in 2028 when the secretary of state position is up for grabs next.
Kertousin could do what many unsuccessful statewide candidates have done. She could run for a lesser office, such as a mayoralty, a National Assembly seat, or a county commissioner position.
The Conservative former county clerk from Merrill County is only 56 years old, so she still has time to cement her political legacy and move on from her three disappointing losses.
Regardless, Kertousin's unexpectedly strong performance is something for Conservatives in the state to celebrate.
The party has never held the secretary of state position in Wilkonshire, and will be itching to claim it in 2028.
All this is assuming there is no further litigation, which is still a possibility. However, most Conservative political operatives and politicians GNN spoke with believe that is unlikely.
For her part, Meade wrote on her "X" account (formerly Twitter) that she is "beyond honored" to be re-elected to her post.
She acknowledged "the unusually close nature of this election," but said she will "continue to work for all Wilkonshireans, regardless of political party or affiliation."
Meade's fortunes are better than her fellow Nationalists, who lost the governorship, lieutenant governorship and attorney generalship.
If her win holds, she will be the sole Nationalist in Wilkonshire's state executive positions.
***Wilkonshire Secretary of State Election*** -- Updated Results:
| Hannah Meade (N) | 49.98% | 3,221,994 |
| Gina Kertousin (C) | 49.57% | 3,195,238 |
| Other | 0.45% | 29,008 |
| TOTAL: | 6,446,240 |
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