The Republican of Albanian origin, Joe Hoxha, who won a mandate in the House of Representatives of the state of Connecticut in the USA, has recounted his election night experiences and the support he received from the Albanian community.
In an interview on A2 CNN, Hoxha said that he started his political journey by working on the election campaigns of other candidates, without thinking that one day he would compete himself.
“I knew that one day I would be involved in one way or another. I didn't know that I would run on my own. For a long time I have worked in campaigns for others, and it is not common to go back from a campaign worker to a candidate myself. When I was given the opportunity, I was given it and when they say ‘the rest is history’”, he declared.
Hoxha said that the night of the elections was accompanied by anxiety, despite the expectations of victory.
He indicated that he had stayed near the polling stations until the end of the process, while he was convinced of the result only when the remaining votes to be counted could not change his lead.
“This job comes with a lot of anxiety. Even if you know with 1 million percent that you have won, the worst thing that can happen and not the best thing stays in your head”, said Hoxha.
“When I saw that the sum of those still to be counted that had been mailed was less than the difference with the opponent, I was relieved and said: I think I have won,” he added.
The Republican also spoke about the support from the Albanians who live in the area where he ran.
“There are not many Albanians in this area, but those who did supported me and did not ask about political views at all, they only supported me because of my Albanian origin”, declared Hoxha.
