Although the national media were shocked at Brat's victory, Richmond-area media outlets had received signs well before the primary that Cantor was in trouble. The "Richmond Times-Dispatch" reported two weeks before the primary that a number of Cantor's constituents felt he took them for granted. The "Times-Dispatch" also revealed that Cantor's attempt to brand Brat as a liberal professor actually made more people turn out for Brat. "The Chesterfield Observer," a local paper serving Chesterfield County—roughly half of which is in the 7th—reported that Tea-Party-aligned candidates had won several victories there, and at least one Cantor loyalist believed Tea Party supporters smelled "blood in the water." One local reporter told David Carr of "The New York Times" that many constituents believed Cantor was arrogant and unapproachable. However, due to massive cutbacks, the race was severely under-polled by local media. Few Capitol Hill reporters were willing to go to Cantor's district, for fear that they would be out of Washington in case a major story broke.