[classicman]

When the initial reports came out they didn't highlight the fact that he was a D. As time went on he was listed as such in a more prominent way as the impending "better story" was coming to light.

If he had been an R, then that fact would have commanded more of the headline initially as the media would have taken a more "here's another one" stance. I think that is what Merc's point was.

I guess it really comes down to which outlet you got your info from and when. I do remember having to look carefully at one of the first article I saw because I wasn't familiar with him and really didn't know. The info was there, it just wasn't at the beginning of the article.