Mass. House Speaker Endorses Koutoujian

Massachusetts House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo (left) and Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian

BOSTON (The Boston Globe)—Speaker Robert A. DeLeo on Wednesday endorsed  Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian in his bid to succeed Edward J. Markey in the US House of Representatives, the Koutoujian campaign said.

Koutoujian, a former state Representative who served for years in the State House with DeLeo, faces six other Democrats in Tuesday’s special Democratic primary for the Fifth Congressional District and is likely to get a boost from the Beacon Hill powerbroker’s nod.

The contest is expected to be a low-turnout affair and DeLeo’s endorsement could be a boon for Koutoujian in the easternmost swath of the heavily Democratic District, from runs from Holliston to Southborough to Woburn to Winthrop, DeLeo’s hometown.

DeLeo represents Winthrop and part of Revere. Both municipalities are considered up for grabs on Tuesday.

But beyond regional considerations, Koutoujian picking up the endorsement of one of the most politically powerful people in Massachusetts sends a clear signal of strength to the state’s political class, from legislators to donors. That could lead also to a boost in support and fundraising in the waning days of the campaign.

Notably, DeLeo is endorsing in a primary race that includes one current state Representative, Carl M. Sciortino of Medford, and three former state representatives who are now state senators: Karen Spilka of Ashland, Will Brownsberger of Belmont and Katherine Clark of Melrose.

“I know how important it is for a district to have a strong, dedicated and intelligent representative always willing to do what is in the best interest of his or her constituents,” DeLeo said in a statement released by the Koutoujian campaign. “Peter will be that person for the Fifth Congressional District.”

Koutoujian, a Waltham resident, said in a statement he was proud to have DeLeo’s support.

The Sheriff’s two other Democratic opponents are: Martin Long, an Arlington author, and Paul John Maisano, a Stoneham resident who works in the construction industry.

There are three Republicans running in the heavily Democratic district: Harvard nanophysics researcher Mike Stopa of Holliston; actuary Tom Tierney of Framingham; and businessman and attorney Frank J. Addivinola Jr. of Boston.