YouTube has become a powerful communication tool for politicians who want to bypass the mainstream media and appeal directly to voters. Now Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt, a first-term Republican who championed school choice and had controversial ties to a pro-voucher PAC called All Children Matter, has put a new spin on use of the technology.

Blunt, who was facing a tough re-election battle, stunned his state by dropping out of the governor’s race—announcing it on YouTube.