In 1978, he was elected to the U.S. House as a member of the
Democratic Party. Atkinson was an early supporter of
Jimmy Carter in
1976, but in
1980 Atkinson endorsed Senator
Ted Kennedy for President. At rallies for Kennedy, Atkinson praised Kennedy's leadership. While Atkinson was on a radio call-in show in 1981, President
Ronald Reagan called into the show and persuaded Atkinson to support Reagan’s proposed budget cuts. Reagan was calling from his
Washington, D.C., hospital bed while recovering from a gunshot wound as a result of an assassination attempt. On October 14, 1981, Atkinson
switched parties, joining the
Republican Party. 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. After the switch,
House Speaker Tip O’Neill predicted Atkinson would be defeated in his next election. The prediction proved accurate, as Atkinson subsequently lost his
1982 re-election by a 21 percentage point margin to
Joseph P. Kolter. ==Death==