The battle for the Republican presidential nomination is beginning to really heat up. The latest log on the fire? Texas has decided to move its 2016 primary to March 1, making it the fifth state to cast votes.

Traditionally, small states hold their primaries before the larger ones. This allows candidates to focus on persuading target groups of voters and gain momentum before facing the daunting challenge of wooing the masses.

Texas is huge. At 270,000 square miles, a campaign will need a treasure trove of cash to finance television ads across 20 media markets. The presidential candidates are now scrambling to snatch up as many donor dollars as they can.

“Maybe a lot of donors will play the field and put money on everybody,” said Dave Carney, a political adviser to Governor Rick Perry’s 2012 presidential campaign. “If you’re really for one of them, though, you’re going to want to get involved now since they’re all going to need resources.”

It helps that several prominent candidates are from Texas.

Perry himself already claims to have the backing of some 90 top campaign contributors. Although, how secure their promises are is up for debate.

Meanwhile, conservative Ted Cruz is raising mountains of money from tea partiers nation-wide. In a recent speech at the Club for Growth meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, Cruz claimed the secret to winning the election was firing up conservatives. According to Cruz, too many Republicans operate “an almost Soviet-design and style campaign.” His intention is to run a grass-roots-oriented campaign styled after President Obama’s 2008 strategy.

Rand Paul, another Texan and son of longtime Texas representative Ron Paul, will inevitably benefit from his family connections in the state.

However, the candidate who can gain the most from family will probably be Jeb Bush. The former Florida Governor has styled himself has the only nominee who can unit the various conservative factions across the country.

“I think everybody who’s disenchanted with Perry and his stumbles last time, and anybody who’s more moderate and wants a candidate that can get elected instead of just nominated, like Ted Cruz, would be natural to go to Jeb,” said Lionel Sosa, a Texas-based consultant who severed as Hispanic media expert for George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

Non-Texans, such as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, are also trying to gain favor among the upper echelons of Texas society.

The early primary in Texas could prove the determining factor for the 2016 Republican presidential nominee. Some candidates may simply not have enough money to fight in any other states.