SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Larry Turner has conceded in the race for San Diego mayor, officially ending what had transformed into a competitive challenge to incumbent Todd Gloria in the final weeks leading up to the election. In a statement released Wednesday, the San Diego police officer and self-described "strong Independent" thanked his supporters for working to bolster his candidacy, likening his bid to that of a "movement" rather than a political campaign. "Our team and our volunteers came from all walks of life, across the political spectrum, and formed one coalition: we are the San Diego Party — non-partisan, independent, and common-sense," the statement read. "It was a privilege to run for Mayor of our amazing city, and it is a privilege to continue to serve San Diegans as your police officer working hard to keep you safe." MORE: Your Local Election Headquarters Gloria took the lead in the race for mayor in the first trickle of unofficial election results from the San Diego County Registrar of Voters office shortly after polls closed on Nov. 5, prompting him to declare victory on election night. "Working together we can truly build a city that reflects the highest of our ideals and a vision that we see that as absolutely possible," Gloria said during remarks at the San Diego County Democratic Party election night gathering in downtown. "Thanks to all of you tonight, we're not turning San Diego around, we are going to move forward." While Turner initially stressed not to count out his candidacy, the incumbent mayor held on to his advantage in the subsequent drops of unofficial race results. As of Tuesday, Nov. 12, Gloria was sitting at about 55% of the vote, while Turner had received roughly 45%. According to the Registrar of Voters, only a handful of ballots countywide — roughly 140,000 — are still awaiting processing and released. These largely account for mail-in votes received on or before Election Day, which typically favors Democratic candidates. "Nearly half of this city voted for change and my hope for San Diego is that this is a wake-up call to current leadership that San Diegans deserve strong, competent, and transparent leadership that is not beholden to special interests," Turner's statement continued. The race for San Diego mayor shaped up to be one of the more challenging re-election bids for an incumbent in the county, despite Gloria positioned to win handily. Ahead of Election Day, the race became flushed with cash in the wake of a surprise $1 million donation to Lincoln Club of San Diego, which was put towards a political action committee boosting Turner's candidacy. Thousands more was poured into the race after this donation.