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==The ill-fated gubernatorial attempt, 2003==

==The ill-fated gubernatorial attempt, 2003==

In 2003, Blossman announced that he would seek to become the Republican [[Governor|gubernatorial]] consensus candidate to succeed term-limited [[Republican Party|GOP]] Governor [[Mike Foster|Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr.]] Blossman called himself a "Reagan conservative." He opposed the since repealed [[Stelly Plan]], which increased property taxes on most middle-class families and was named for its author, former state Representative [[Vic Stelly]] of [[Lake Charles]].

In 2003, Blossman announced that he would seek to become the Republican [[Governor|gubernatorial]] consensus candidate to succeed term-limited [[Republican Party|GOP]] Governor [[Mike Foster|Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr.]] Blossman called himself a "Reagan conservative." He opposed the since repealed [[Stelly Plan]], which increased property taxes on most middle-class families and was named for its author, former state Representative [[Vic Stelly]] of [[Lake Charles]].<ref name=celebs/>

However, other Republicans wanted to run as well, including former Governor [[David C. Treen]], who in retirement had settled in Blossman's own St. Tammany Parish. Treen, after testing the waters, never filed his papers to make the race. Two other Republicans continued in the race: (1) state Representative Huntington B. "Hunt" Downer, Jr., of Houma in Terrebonne Parish, and (2) [[Bobby Jindal]], an I[[India|Indian]]-American health-care specialist then of Baton Rouge and the favorite of Governor Foster, [[U.S. President]] [[George W. Bush]], and much of the Republican leadership. The Republican hopefuls risked dividing their party's base to such an extent that two Democrats, and no Republican candidate, might have been thrust into the [[general election]] under Louisiana's unique nonpartisan blanket [[primary]].

However, other Republicans wanted to run as well, including former Governor [[David C. Treen]], who in retirement had settled in Blossman's own St. Tammany Parish. Treen, after testing the waters, never filed his papers to make the race. Two other Republicans continued in the race: (1) state Representative Huntington B. "Hunt" Downer, Jr., of Houma in Terrebonne Parish, and (2) [[Bobby Jindal]], an I[[India|Indian]]-American health-care specialist then of Baton Rouge and the favorite of Governor Foster, [[U.S. President]] [[George W. Bush]], and much of the Republican leadership. The Republican hopefuls risked dividing their party's base to such an extent that two Democrats, and no Republican candidate, might have been thrust into the [[general election]] under Louisiana's unique nonpartisan blanket [[primary]].