The prime example is Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), whose campaign committee spent a whopping $13.6 million overall in 2021 — more than almost every senator running for reelection in 2022, even though Cruz’s seat isn’t up for two more years. At least $3.3 million of that went into digital services, while Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R-Mo.) campaign spent $1.7 million online last year. Two PACs started by contenders currently out of office, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, spent $2.4 million and $1.4 million online, respectively…

“Anyone who’s serious about running for president in 2024 has already begun building a campaign behind the scenes, and the foundation of a good campaign is a big database of supporters,” said Alex Conant, a Republican consultant who worked on Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential bid. “You can’t wait until you launch your campaign to build an online donor base.”

Especially for candidates who are not currently in office, “there’s definitely some interest here. Whether that means 2024 or 2028, that’s an open question,” said Tim Cameron, a Republican digital consultant.