That wasn't my impression early on. Much of the misbehavior was tracked to the Committee to Re-elect the President; or CREEP. (What a fitting name, no?) Despite what little coverage there was, Nixon was re-elected.
At some point I realized that I was hearing the term "Watergate" frequently but without really understanding it.
When I did start following it closely I had to turn to the back pages of the newspaper to find mention of it and that situation continued for many months. I can't remember what particular development really brought it to the front page. It took quite a while for the scandal to reach Nixon.
I was 12 years old but my recollection is John Dean’s testimony before the Sam Irvin Commitee blew Watergate sky high.