It looks like state Rep. Joe Miklosi could face a well-funded Democratic primary opponent after all.

Just days after former House Speaker Andrew Romanoff made it clear he isn’t jumping into the race for the newly competitive 6th Congressional District seat, wealthy chiropractor Perry Haney has been making the rounds meeting key Democratic players. At the same time, his backers are letting word leak out that the candidate intends to spend what it takes to win the nomination.

“Send a Chiropractor to Congress,” reads campaign material available through Haney’s website. “There’s nothing wrong with Congress that a spine doctor with backbone can’t cure,” says one side of a brochure under a Haney for U.S. Congress logo.

Although numerous chiropractors have made it into state legislatures, Haney would be the first chiropractor elected to Congress.

Miklosi launched his bid against two-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman in July, before the ultimate boundaries of the 6th District were known. The Denver Democrat has said he plans to move early next year into the district, which spans the east side of the metro area.

Since this spring, Haney has been publicly flirting with a run in either the 6th District or in the 3rd District, claiming ties to both parts of the state, but has settled on the Aurora-based district, according to a source close to his campaign. (Before earning degrees at the University of Colorado, Haney graduated from Aurora’s Hinkley High School in the late 1960s.)

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, told the Denver Post editorial board in May that Haney had recently met with him during a get-acquainted session with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington.

Although the prospects of his candidacy mostly fell under the radar over the summer, in recent months the Haney campaign looks to have accelerated.

Haney filed papers with the Federal Election Commission on Oct. 27 creating an exploratory committee listing his address in Lone Tree, part of the new 6th District, and writing that he was seeking election to the House as a Democrat.

In a lengthy interview published in November as the cover story in Dynamic Chiropractic: The Chiropractic News Source, Haney mostly discusses his thoughts on the state of the field and various controversies — he believes the “hype” surrounding any “cervical manipulation-stroke risk connection” results from a fallacy — but also talks about his plans if elected to Congress.

Haney plans to invite chiropractors to the unveiling of the nameplate on his congressional door, which will identify him as a member of the profession. When it comes to Medicare, Haney says it should be saved, not destroyed. “One way to fix Medicare is via greater utilization of chiropractic, which is proven to save costs,” he says. “Chiropractic [also] must be included on an equal playing field in all insurance systems.”

Efforts to reach Haney were unsuccessful.

In an open letter to fellow chiropractors, Haney pledges to fight for the right of patients to access chiropractic care, including active-duty military, veterans and their dependents. “Chiropractors need to be treated fairly and I will make sure that they are,” Haney promises.

Haney winds up his pitch — which includes a sign-up sheet chiropractors can use to recruit patients to the Haney campaign — with an empathetic appeal to seek justice by supporting his campaign.

“As a chiropractor, I know your issues because I’m one of you. I know the injustices we face and the difficulties we encounter in our profession. Chiropractic advocacy is all the more powerful when you have one of your own in Congress.”

— Ernest@coloradostatesman.com