Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian was re-elected on September 8 after defeating Barry Kelleher for the Democratic nomination in the Massachusetts State Primary.

Koutoujian will now run unopposed in the November general election, Armenian Weekly reported.

Koutoujian was sworn in as Middlesex County sheriff in 2011 by Governor Duval Patrick. In November 2012, he won election, representing 1.5 million residents with 77 percent of the vote.

Koutoujian spent several years spearheading efforts to win the approval of Armenian Heritage Park, which opened May 2012, along the newly created Rose Kennedy Greenway. For his efforts, he was awarded the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor as well as the Mkhitar Gosh Medal for exemplary service in the field of diplomacy, law, and political science.

Koutoujian’s grandparents emigrated to the United States from Western Armenia during the genocide and settled in Waltham, Massachusetts.