Democrats added seven governorships to their fold on election night, producing their biggest round of statehouse wins in decades, but they also suffered heartbreaking defeats in a handful of states they hoped to place in their column.

The party captured governorships in Illinois, New Mexico, Michigan, Maine, Kansas and Nevada, and appeared to finally narrowly knock off Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker – a victory many Democrats will savor, given the incumbent's stubborn resilience. In Georgia, the race remains too close to call, with Democrats hoping for a runoff opportunity.

The tide represents a sizable overhaul of power centers in state capitals, with vast repercussions for statehouse budget and policy priorities, including the expansion of Medicaid and investments in education funding.

But Democrats also suffered heartbreaking defeats in battleground states like Iowa, Ohio and perhaps the most politically significant contest on the map, Florida. It amounted to a very good night for Democratic governors – without being spectacular. During the last two midterm elections identified as "waves," a half-dozen governorships switched parties, establishing the modern standard. While Republicans netted six governorships in 2010, Democrats did the same in 2006.

"Tonight, a majority of Americans can look to their state capital and know they have a Democratic governor fighting for them," said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, in a statement. "This is a significant milestone: Democratic governors now represent a majority of the American population."

In Illinois, Democrat J.B. Pritzker's smashing 15-point victory over incumbent Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner was expected for months and will usher in a new trifecta of power in the Land of Lincoln, where Democrats will also control both chambers of the state legislature.

In New Mexico, Rep. Michelle Lujan-Grisham's 14-point defeat of Republican Steve Pearce returns the governorship to the Democratic fold. She'll be the first Democratic Hispanic female governor in U.S. history.

Democrat Gretchen Whitmer's 9-point win over Republican Bill Schuette in battleground Michigan will grant the former state lawmaker a mandate after two terms of GOP rule.

And Janet Mills, the state's attorney general, became Maine's first female governor in defeating Republican Shawn Moody. Her lead was about 6.5 points, with about 75 percent of precincts reporting.

In arguably the biggest upset of the night, Democrats seized the governorship in Kansas , with state Sen. Laura Kelly topping Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach relatively early on election night.

Kelly's 4.5-point victory sent shockwaves through the traditionally Republican state, where Democrats also gained a U.S. House seat. Polls showed Kobach ahead narrowly heading into Election Day, and a third-party candidate, Greg Orman, complicated Kelly's pathway. But the radioactivity of Kobach, an immigration hawk who helmed President Donald Trump's ill-fated commission on election integrity, appeared to be too much for Kansas.

Fueled by robust Democratic turnout in Nevada, Democrat Steve Sisolak disposed of Republican Attorney General Adam Laxalt by 4 points.

No Democratic incumbent governor suffered a defeat and the party re-established its powerbase in the Upper Midwest, but Republicans salvaged their night by scoring hard-fought wins in a trio of states coveted by both parties.

In Iowa, appointed Gov. Kim Reynolds became the first woman elected to serve as Iowa's chief executive. She defeated businessman Fred Hubbell by 3 points to keep the Hawkeye State in GOP hands.

Ohio GOP Attorney General Mike DeWine beat back Democrat Richard Cordray, the former head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, by a 4 point margin.

And in Florida, former GOP Rep. Ron DeSantis delivered the most gut-wrenching blow to Democrats in his defeat of Andrew Gillum, the African-American Tallahassee mayor who oozed charisma and was seen as an ascending leader in his party. At the age of 40, DeSantis will become the youngest governor in the nation when he takes office in January.

Republicans also achieved an important milestone by electing Rep. Kristi Noem the first female governor of South Dakota. Noem defeated Democrat Billie Sutton by about 3 points. The party also appeared to pick up the Alaska governorship with Republican Mike Dunleavy's apparent defeat of former Democratic Sen. Mark Begich. Independent Gov. Bill Walker abandoned his re-election bid in the closing weeks, seeing no plausible path for a second term.

At least five of the new incoming governors will be women: four Democrats and one Republican.

But in what was a difficult defensive gubernatorial map for Republicans, allies were heartened that they maintained their grip in a handful of key states.

"They held a lot of seats that they might've lost, so it was a good defensive action for Republican governors in this country," said Marc Thiessen, a Republican commentator on Fox News early Wednesday.

The Wisconsin race was too close to call for most of the evening, with GOP Gov. Scott Walker and Democratic Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers separated by a few hundred votes at one point.

But after a crush of nearly 40,000 absentee ballots were counted out of the city of Milwaukee, the Associated Press called the race for Evers just before 2:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Evers' victory was just over 1 percentage point, or about 31,000 votes, with 99 percent of precincts reporting.

Still, Walker did not immediately concede defeat, with Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch declaring, "We must ensure that every valid vote in the state of Wisconsin is counted. And we must be gracious whatever the outcome."

In one of the most hotly tracked races of the cycle, Democrat Stacey Abrams also refused to concede her bid to win the Georgia governorship. Despite Republican Brian Kemp hovering at just over 50 percent of the vote, Abrams addressed supporters with a vague message that only spoke about the future.

"I know you put your faith in me, and you'll do it again," she said to cheers. "You're gonna have a chance to do a do-over. Friends, we are still on the verge of history, and the best is yet to come."

Abrams was aiming to become the country's first African-American female governor but would need Kemp's percentage to fall under 50 percent in order to force a four-week runoff campaign into December. The contest had been rife with allegations of voter purges and suppression.