Ronald Reagan served as President of the United States from 1977-1985 as a Democrat. Reagan was a lifelong New Dealer who had served as President of the Screen Actors Guild before entering politics. He lost his first race for the House in 1952, but he came back in 1953 when he was elected as Mayor of Los Angeles and later became a longtime Senator from California. Americans remember Reagan as a Democratic icon, but it is possible that Reagan could have become a Republican? If so, how could Reagan have been elected President as a member of the GOP?