HUCKABEE DEFENDS LENO APPEARANCE

Michael Huckabee is defending his decision to cross a picket line to appear on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” on Wednesday night after initially saying he was not aware that the show’s writers remained on strike.

Speaking to reporters after a campaign event yesterday in Grinnell, Iowa, Mr. Huckabee said Mr. Leno did not violate an agreement not to bring in replacement writers and said the Writers Guild of America strike “is really against the producers and the network, not against Jay Leno.”

“What Jay Leno did was put 160 people back to work, and to make sure that they have a living,” he said.

Union members had urged Mr. Huckabee not to appear, and the former Arkansas governor reiterated that he supported the striking writers.

The flap has fed the perception that Mr. Huckabee is occasionally aloof on the campaign trail, coming weeks after he told reporters he had not heard of a National Intelligence Estimate on Iran that dominated news all day.

“I’m a very serious candidate, and I’m very informed,” he said. He added that he was paying attention to “what matters most to folks here.”

GRAVEL OFF NEW YORK BALLOT, CONSIDERING THIRD-PARTY RUN

Two Democratic candidates who participated in presidential debates, Senators Gravel and Dodd, will not be on the primary ballot in New York, which hosts some of the toughest ballot requirements in the country.

“It’s an abomination,” Mr. Gravel said in a phone interview. “Having states doing this individually to protect whatever interests is just ridiculous.”

“New York is far and away the most difficult,” Mr. Gravel’s national field director, Jose Rodriguez said.

Mr. Dodd’s campaign avoided New York in favor of sinking its resources into its Iowa campaign, according to a spokesman. “Typically, the problem with a lot of states is that they sometimes limit access by having very large signature petition requirements,” Chris Dreibelbis said. Mr. Dreibelbis is the communications director of the Reform Institute, a nonpartisan civic organization.

The institute gave New York, which requires 5,000 signatures from Democratic candidates, an “F” rating on ballot access in 2003.

Mr. Gravel said he may run on a third-party ticket if he fails to win the nomination, listing the Green, Libertarian, and Natural Law parties as possible destinations.

ROMNEY CONCEDES MASSACHUSETTS TO CLINTON

Mitt Romney says he won’t win his home state in November if he is the Republican nominee for president.

Asked yesterday in a radio interview if he would prevail in Massachusetts in a match-up with Senator Clinton, Mr. Romney replied. “Oh, I can’t imagine doing that. I don’t think so. It’s a very liberal state.”

Mr. Romney told Sean Hannity that Massachusetts voters “vehemently disagree with the fact that I’m pro-life. They disagree with the fact that I’m opposed to same-sex marriage. Those two issues for many people in some states overwhelm who can build our economy better, who understands our foreign policy better, who understand show to strengthen America for our future.”

Mr. Romney said he might be able to win Michigan, a traditionally Democratic state, because of his family ties there and his commitment to revitalizing the automobile industry.

RICHARDSON GETS STEALTH HELP FROM ANTI-WAR PAC

The presidential campaign of Governor Richardson of New Mexico is getting an under-the-radar boost from radio ads taken out by an Iowa-based group.

The Stop the Arms Race Political Action Committee, which dates back to 1980 and calls for nuclear disarmament, has been running ads that tout Mr. Richardson’s plan to withdraw all American troops from Iraq within a year.

The ad faults Senators Clinton and Obama, as well as John Edwards, for failing to make a similar pledge.

The group, known as Starpac, has not filed any reports about the ads with the Federal Election Commission.

The group’s national chair, Chuck Day, said he was unaware of the budget for the ads, though he said some funds came from outside Iowa.