Sports analogies endure in presidential politics like a boxer going the distance, like a basketball team attacking a full-court press, like a jockey, err, jockeying for position. Just don't move the goal posts.

Welcome to Primary Countdown for Dec. 16, 25 days until it's Game On.

Quote of the Day: "I hope I am the Tim Tebow of the Iowa Caucuses." – Texas Gov. Rick Perry, during Thursday GOP debate, praying for a Hail Mary Pass.

If Perry is the Tebow of the Iowa Caucuses, Mitt Romney must be the Brady of the New Hampshire Primary? Watch (out) for more football smacktalk this weekend–The New England Patriots play the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Speaking of The Pats ... Jon Huntsman will attend a "Patriots and Politics" house party in Exeter on Sunday, part of another campaign swing through his adopted state.

And speaking of Exeter, birthplace of the GOP: Ron Paul plans to return Tuesday to Exeter Town Hall, the venue of his official launch.

Rivals are nipping, but Mitt Romney's still the one to beat in New Hampshire, according to Andy Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

"It's Romney's race to lose," Smith told Portsmouth Rotarians on Thursday.

Smith said Romney's resources and name recognition give him solid footing in New Hampshire. Lest you forget–and if you do, Romney's critics will remind you– he has had his eye on the White House since being GOP runner-up in 2008.

Speaking of name recognition, does Romney enjoy a "favorite son" status? He has a little estate on the Big Lake and, during the WMUR clip of him speaking in Hudson last Sunday, the candidate referred to his home in Wolfeboro. Second home, that is.

More points on the board: South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is endorsing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Around the Horn:

• Could a Huntsman have saved us from the Kardashian wedding? Hook, line, sinker of a headline from the Salt Lake Trib.
• Who says Romney doesn't get tough questions from the voters? Here's a video clip from Concord Patch Editor Tony Schinella. Romney talks about his private sector experience.
• Huckabee Gets Star Treatment on Return to Iowa. Another reminder of the former Arkansas governor's political prowess-and the reality that if you win the Iowa caucuses you get a shot at your own TV show, while if you win the New Hampshire Primary you get a shot at the White House.

Messaging: A taste of the campaign branding zipping around the web last night–Jon Huntsman the "Consistent Conservative." Rick Santorum says he is "Ready and Able with the 3AM Phone Call Comes." And Michael Krull for Newt 2012, "We deserve solutions, not attacks." 

A Civil Matter: New Hampshire folks tell Patch who excelled and who hiccupped in the final presidential debate before the Jan. 3 caucuses. Snippet: "We The People" founder Jennifer Horn of Nashua says, in part, "Romney remained above the fray..." John F.J. Sullivan, editor-in-chief of the NHLFDA: "Even Tim Tebow can't save Rick Perry."

Break out the flak jackets: Signs The Battle of Romney is getting personal, more negative in the Granite State.

Picking on Perry: Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer is positively glowing about his standing in the recent Suffolk University/7 News poll. It showed him with a whopping 2 percent. In a press release on his surge, he poked fun of being ahead of Texas Gov. Rick Perry. The release was titled, "Gov. Buddy Roemer Ahead Of 'Super PAC Perry' in NH."

What we'd like to see more of: Rich professional politicians comparing themselves to rich professional athletes.

Primary tips or quips? Stories, photos, ideas? Send 'em to dan.tuohy@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter and follow Primary Patch on Twitter.