Eugene Vincent Atkinson (April 5, 1927 – August 4, 2016)[1] was an American politician who, from 1979 to 1983, served two-terms as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

[3] Reagan was calling from his Washington, D.C., hospital bed while recovering from a gunshot wound as a result of an assassination attempt.

[6] Atkinson claimed at the time that the switch was a result of Democratic reaction to his support of Reagan’s agenda.

New York Republican Representative John LeBoutillier led the congressional effort to coax Atkinson to switch parties.

[9][10] The prediction proved accurate, as Atkinson subsequently lost his 1982 re-election by a 21 percentage point margin to Joseph P.