A candidate running to replace Republican state Assemblyman Allan Mansoor switched her political affiliation to Democratic after months of campaigning as a conservative GOP politician, a move that party leaders say could split the Democratic vote in a tight primary race.

Karina Onofre, who as recently as January espoused her conservative credentials at a Tea Party forum in Costa Mesa, filed paperwork last month to run as a Democrat in the 74th Assembly District race.

Onofre, a self-described conservative Democrat, said in an interview she’d become increasingly disillusioned with Orange County’s “good old boys club” after identifying as a Republican for more than a year. She ran unsuccessfully as a Republican during the nonpartisan Santa Ana City Council race in 2012.

“There are extremists on both sides, but I fit in better with the Democrats – the Democratic Party has the heart,” said Onofre, 31, of Irvine, a registered Democrat for the majority of her adult life. “It’s definitely going to take time making the switch, but I know I’m going to earn the Democratic trust.”

Mansoor is not seeking reelection to the 74th Assembly District so he can run for a county supervisor seat; his district spans spans from Huntington Beach to Laguna Beach.

Democratic Party leader Nick Anas said he feared Onofre would siphon away votes from the other Democrat in the race, schoolteacher Anila Ali of Irvine, who has been endorsed by county Democrats.

“It’s a real shame,” Anas, executive director of the Democratic Party of Orange County, said of Onofre’s switch. “It shows she doesn’t have a strong political compass. I don’t know if she’s naive or if this is more calculated, but either way, it’s disturbing.”

Three Republicans also are vying for the 74th Assembly District seat – Newport Beach City Councilman Keith Curry, Huntington Beach Mayor Matthew Harper and political aide Emanuel Patrascu of Laguna Beach.

The top two vote-getters in the June 3 primary will face off in this November’s election, regardless of party affiliation.

Onofre, who owns an H&R Block franchise in Santa Ana, said she was drawn to the Republican Party in 2012 as she was preparing for a run for Santa Ana City Council. She hoped the GOP would be a better fit for her conservative fiscal values, and as a Catholic, she felt the GOP might better reflect her social values as well, she said.

“I wanted to be open-minded because I thought it was the media that deterred Latinos from looking at the Republican Party,” Onofre said.

But Onofre, a lifelong supporter and advocate for the Latino community, said the GOP’s views on undocumented immigrants weighed heavily on her conscience.

In February 2013, Onofre said she was “really, really bothered” by a report that U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, had allegedly threatened a young, undocumented Costa Mesa woman who came to his Washington, D.C. office to advocate for immigration reform.

Toward the end of that meeting, Rohrabacher, a staunch opponent of amnesty for undocumented immigrants, was accused of asking 18-year-old Jessica Bravo if she’d provided her contact information to his office. He then was accused of saying, “Good, now I know where you live,” which Bravo interpreted as a threat.

Rohrabacher’s office denied the accusation, saying Bravo had told “an outright lie” and characterized her as unprepared for the meeting and unable to defend her position.

Then, in September 2013, Onofre said “it broke my heart” when several state GOP lawmakers opposed a bill granting undocumented immigrants the ability to get a driver’s license. The bill became law.

“I definitely don’t want to be in a party that disparages my community and does not treat us with respect,” Onofre said. “It’s a good old white boys club, with a handful of exceptions.”

Onofre said she began distancing herself from the GOP as early as September. She launched her bid for the 74th Assembly District in December and formally switched her political affiliation last month.

Nevertheless, Onofre touted her conservative GOP credentials at a January forum hosted by the Newport Mesa Tea Party, where she spoke about being “the future of the Republican Party” and said she was a Democrat “before seeing the light” and making the switch to the Republican Party in 2012.

“I can help our party grow and make our state conservative, bloody red again,” Onofre said during the Jan. 9 videotaped speech.

Of her delay in switching back, Onofre said in an interview: “It took me a while to decide. I’m very loyal once I switch.”

Tom Pollitt, founder of the Newport Mesa Tea Party, said he wasn’t bothered by Onofre’s shifting party affiliation, stressing that the Tea Party encompassed Democrats as well as Republicans.

“If she wants to change her designation, that’s fine – it’s her basic values that she stands for that we care about,” Pollitt said.

But Scott Baugh, chairman of the Orange County GOP, said voters likely won’t respond favorably to a candidate without a consistent party affiliation. Only politicians who have established their reputation and become “an institution” among their constituents can afford a party change, he said.

“If you’re brand new to the political scene, and you’re flipping and flopping from one political party to the other, voters will not be impressed,” Baugh said.

“These efforts to change parties are usually seen as transparent attempts to do whatever it takes to promote yourself, as opposed to a belief in a common set of core values.”

Contact the writer: 714-796-7802 or smartindale@ocregister.com