Logo puts AG hopeful in a sticky situation

Every politician wants the soccer moms. But only one put the Massachusetts State Soccer Association logo on his bumper stickers.

That would be Larry Frisoli , the Republican nominee for attorney general and the group's longtime president. He said he informally notified the board that he planned to use the organization's logo on his bumper stickers, and nobody objected.

He said he never meant to imply that the organization had endorsed him.

``I did it to identify myself as the president of Mass Soccer," said Frisoli, who also put a link to his campaign website on the soccer website. ``It's name recognition."

Frisoli stopped issuing the bumper stickers last spring because the logo made it ``confusing as to what I'm running for" and crowded out his name.

But some of the soccer group's members were not happy.

He is entangled in a battle over the presidency of the organization; a rival won election, but Frisoli insists the results are not valid.

``This is an attempt to smear me in my campaign for AG," Frisoli said.

Cezar Wislocki-Wasecki , president of the Bay State Soccer League , said he is mystified by Frisoli's assertion. The election was ``by the book," Wislocki-Wasecki said.

``I think he just didn't expect not to get revoted in," Wislocki-Wasecki said .

He said Frisoli had ``done a lot of good things" for Massachusetts State Soccer, but appropriating its logo for his campaign was not one of them. Frisoli is running against Democrat Martha Coakley in the general election.

``If he's running for attorney general, he should know better than anybody else," Wislocki-Wasecki said. ``That's what makes me nervous."
Lisa Wangsness

Guest list gaffe

Representative John P. Murtha of Pennsylvania will headline an Oct. 2 fundraiser at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge for local congressman Michael Capuano's leadership political action committee.

Contrary to the invitation, however, New Hampshire's Jim Craig will not be among the six New England Democratic congressional candidates who will benefit from the Somerville Democrat's Mass PAC. The invitation went to the printer before Craig, the House minority leader, was stunned by Carol Shea-Porter in a four-way primary on Sept. 12.

Capuano's embarrassment is nothing compared with that of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that had tapped Craig as its choice to face Republican incumbent Jeb Bradley in the 1st District. ``I love Jimmy," Capuano said of Craig, ``but now the money's going to what's-her-name . . . Carol [Shea-]Porter."
Brian Mooney

A silent success

When you win an election, don't you want to broadcast it?

Apparently not if you're Republican Kenneth Chase of Belmont, who narrowly defeated Kevin Scott of Wakefield in Tuesday's GOP primary for the right to take on Senator Edward M. Kennedy in November.

As of late last week, Chase had not updated his website (chaseforsenate.com) to reflect the win. No effusive praise for supporters. No victorious phrases like ``We did it!" plastered across the front page. Nothing. In fact, the newest entry under the header ``latest news" was a blurb criticizing Kennedy's bill on immigration as ``wrong for our nation." (The lapse was first reported on the blog hubpolitics.com.)

Scott managed to update his site (massforscott.com) and express gratitude to those who voted for him.

``I want to thank all of the people who voted for me and supported my candidacy for US Senate," he wrote. ``While coming so close to winning is bittersweet, the time has come for me to congratulate my opponent and thank the thousands of people who voted for me."
Scott Helman

The week ahead

He's not doing much to help Kerry Healey, but Governor Mitt Romney is holding a $5,000-per-person breakfast fund-raiser for his Commonwealth PAC on Friday at the Ritz-Carlton in Boston . . . Fox News Sunday's Chris Wallace is scheduled to moderate a debate tomorrow between the four candidates for governor. It is sponsored by Fox 25 and the Boston Herald, and will be broadcast live from 6 to 7:10 p.m. . . . Deval L. Patrick is scheduled to appear with Democratic legislative leaders tomorrow at a fund-raiser featuring Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico.

To reach the Globe's political staff, e-mail masspolitics@globe.com.