Bernalillo County Sheriff Emanuel "Manny" Gonzales, who was running for mayor of Albuquerque, addressed his supporters last night after his loss to incumbent Tim Keller.

Gonzales said that he thought he would have performed better but would try to take the loss in stride. 

"I don't know what to tell people,” he told KRQE. “Pull your head out of the sand and let’s do something for this city. I'm kind of shocked at where we're at right now. I thought we would do a lot better as far as numbers, but let’s stay optimistic. I think we still have some time here.”

Gonzales has one more year to serve as sheriff because of term limits after taking office with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department in 2009, according to KRQE.

His campaign was under intense scrutiny after it admitted to forging signatures.

Albuquerque Police Officer Mario Verbeck, who was shot in the line of duty in August, made his first public appearance since the incident in support of Gonzales during the election.

"I would like to thank my family, our community and all our volunteers for the overwhelming support," Gonzales wrote on Facebook. "I am honored to serve our community and will continue to put the people first. I wish the best of luck to the current leadership and hope for a better future for Albuquerque."