The American Dream: How the Russian is running for the US Congress

At the age of 37, Vladivostok native Dmitry Shein has already achieved the American dream, writes “Voice of America«.

He recalls how in childhood, while in the Soviet Union, he stood in line for bread with his grandfather.

His mother married a resident of Anchorage, and he moved to Alaska in the early 1990s, but later his mother’s marriage gave a crack, and they had to move to a shelter and live for a while.

“My mother and I immigrated to Alaska from Russia in 1993, when I was 12 years old. The first few years in America were hard. My mother, sister, and I lived in an AWAIC women's shelter. With the help of the housing program, the family managed to change the shelter to the house. My mother worked in Walmart. I am very proud of my mother and appreciate the hard work she had to do as an immigrant and single mother to provide a better life for me and my sister,” Shein said.

Now a naturalized US citizen and successful business owner, Shane decided to run for Congress.

He is competing in the August Democratic primary against two independent candidates, Alice Galvin and Christopher Cumings, and out-of-state Democrat Carol Hafner.

Photo: facebook.com/dimitriforcongress

If elected, Shane will be the first member of the United States House of Representatives born in Russia from 1967 onwards.

Shane began to actively engage in politics only after the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States. He explained that then he began to worry about the safety of his children, the Alaskan natives.

His wife, a doctor by profession, is a representative of the indigenous people of Alaska. They have two biological and four adopted children.

Photo: dimitriforcongress.com

“I woke up in another country and said: My God, where do we live? This is not the country where I came and where I was accepted,” he says.

The main theme of his election campaign is the spread of Medicare's national health insurance program to everyone - an idea that became popular thanks to the Vermont senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

According to Shane, it may seem bold, but it fits into a popular trend.

Photo: facebook.com/dimitriforcongress

Candidate to the state legislature Patricia Fei-Braysel, who is a supporter of Shane, calls him a charismatic leader.

“When he walks into an audience, people perk up, and when he speaks, they cheer,” she says, noting that he “captures people's sentiments.”

Shane travels around the state accepting invitations to speak and participate in forums.

Photo: facebook.com/dimitriforcongress

A former accountant, Shane drives one of 94 Alaska-registered Teslas.

Recently, on the way to a coffee shop in one of the Anchorage shopping centers, he met his school teacher on the debate of David Blok.

According to Block, Shane was an outspoken and outspoken “nerd” during his school days, but through great effort, he managed to master the skill of public speaking and debate, although English is not his native language.

Photo: facebook.com/dimitriforcongress

That helped lay “the foundation of where he is now,” Block said.

Shane has always been persistent.

His mother, Lena Saville, who worked at the Walmart store and hotel during her graduate school, and then became an environmental engineer, says that Shane worked with 12 for years, becoming a peddler for the local newspaper Anchorage Daily News.

According to her, he was a born merchant, often advertising coupon codes that were published in Sunday editions as incentives for buyers.

Dmitry's first business project was a search for grants for projects born in rural Alaska. He not only sought funding for them, but also visited state regions to make sure that the money actually reached the author of the project. According to him, this work allowed him to learn about the problems and peculiarities of all Alaskans.

“My work allowed me to see rural life in Alaska and become familiar with the daily problems of the people in this region. In addition, on my trips I met several good friends, went fishing and learned to quickly jump out of the bathhouse when it gets too hot,” the candidate admitted.

Then Dmitry opened an e-commerce company that produces and sells things of his own design.

“I was lucky enough to follow my dream, create a company and turn my life's work into an international business. I learned a lot about manufacturing in the USA, international trade and how to work with people from all over the world,” Shein said.

In 2016, Dmitry and Melisa decided to adopt 4 girls, despite the fact that the family already had a 2 child.

“Adoption-related events have contributed to the challenges Alaskans face in the current economic environment. The need to provide security and development opportunities for the next generation is the primary reason that motivated me to run for a seat in Congress. I believe that the next generation of Alaskans should have a voice and take part in what is happening in our state and our great state,” says Dmitry.

Dmitry promises to fight for universal healthcare, which will be provided to all Alaskans, as well as for the spread of environmentally friendly forms of energy production. In addition, Dmitry intends to provide protection for small and medium-sized businesses in the state, since, in his opinion, big business is now “dictating its interests to the leadership of Alaska.”