Bringing the ‘-ian’ to Congress: An Interview with Sheriff Koutoujian

BOSTON, Mass.—Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian has announced his candidacy for Senator Edward Markey’s (D-Mass.-5) vacant seat in Congress. The special election, which will likely take place sometime in December, has five candidates already campaigning for the Democratic primary, which is expected to take place in October. Koutoujian has what he calls a “natural advantage” over his opponents: He has previously run in almost the entire area that is District 5, which includes Watertown, New England’s historic capital for Armenians. The sheriff, a resident of Waltham, is no stranger to the local Armenian community. While serving as a state representative, he was the lead sponsor of the annual Armenian Genocide Commemoration event held at the State House, and was instrumental in securing approval for the Armenian Heritage Park. He regularly attends commemorations and community events, sometimes as a speaker and other times as an honored guest; he has served as an election observer in Armenia; and he has visited the front lines in Nagorno-Karabagh. For his service to the Armenian-American community, Koutoujian received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2011, and the Mkhitar Gosh Medal from Armenia’s prime minister in 2012.