‘Spine doctor with a backbone’ looking to battle Miklosi for chance to unseat Coffman

Perry Haney has been planning to run for Congress for a while and now, as reported by the Colorado Statesman today, he has decided to mount a serious primary challenge to Democrat Joe Miklosi in CD6, the former Republican stronghold represented by Mike Coffman but remade this year as one of the nation’s top tossup congressional districts.

“There’s nothing wrong with Congress that a spine doctor with backbone can’t cure,” reads a Haney brochure.

State House Rep. Miklosi was likely just beginning to breathe easy in planning his long-ago announced campaign against Coffman. Although Miklosi has been endorsed enthusiastically by his legislative colleagues, rumors swirled for weeks after the new district lines were announced that national Democratic party leaders were looking for a more high-profile candidate to run against Coffman. The rumors centered on charismatic former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff. Romanoff declined and Miklosi fundraising looked to get a boost.

Now comes the chiropractor, and sources tell the Colorado Independent, Haney is a very serious candidate and that he plans to post better fundraising numbers when he jumps in than Miklosi has raised all year.

From the Statesman:

[W]ealthy 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…”

Haney hasn’t done much media yet outside of a Chiropractic trade publication. The Statesman reports he thinks GOP plans to slash Medicare will destroy–not save–the program.

[ Image: Miklosi, left, Haney, right. ]