Will Wendy Greuel's past come back to haunt her as she and the four other top candidates in the Los Angeles mayor's race prepare to face off tonight in a live TV debate at UCLA?

These days, Greuel, the current Los Angeles City Controller, is a registered Democrat. But that wasn't always the case.

In fact, Greuel was a Republican up until 1992, right before she began her political career serving as an aide to former Mayor Tom Bradley. When Bradley took a job with the Clinton Administration in Washington, D.C., Greuel did too, becoming  HUD administrator of grants to fight homelessness. Greuel later ran for Los Angeles City Council in 2002--and won.

"Does she have core Democrat beliefs on social and fiscal issues or did she become a Democrat because she wanted to have a political future in heavily-Democrat Los Angeles," wonders an insider close to Greuel. "This race is a close one and certainly someone who changes parties for alleged political expendiency could be ripe for attack."

Wendy Greuel recently came under fire for allegedly campaigning on taxpayers' dime. Opponent Kevin James says Greuel's city staff were even used as campaign aides, which is a no-no. 

The Wendy Greuel campaign denies it.

She also was widely criticized for trying to raise campaign cash in an email blast that asked supporters to give blood to help save the life of a friend's son. 

According to the Los Angeles Times, "Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel and Councilman Eric Garcetti remain the front-runners in this race. They’ve raised the most money – about $3.6 million each – and topped the early polls."

The one-hour debate begins at 7 p.m. It will air on NBC LA.

Direct link: http://www.prnewschannel.com/2013/01/28/shifty-whats-really-behind-wendy-greuel-and-becoming-a-democrat-before-entering-politics/

SOURCE: Concerned Citizens for Los Angeles