Ted Cruz is prepping for tonight's debate by reading the Bible, playing iPhone games

(Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Debates are Ted Cruz's time to shine — and with a reputation of "exhaustive preparation" that dates back to his Princeton days, Cruz knows how to keep the moderators and competition right where he wants them, Politico reports.

"He'll get up, give a speech and ignore everything you just said. When you lose to someone who does that, you want to lose your mind. It's like, you won all the arguments, he just gave that big speech," Andrew Cohen, who debated against Cruz several times, said.

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On the day of a debate itself, Cruz aides say, the senator simply wants to decompress with his wife, Heidi, and his two young daughters. He reads the Bible, they say, but also plays games on his iPhone.The current rotation includes "Plants vs. Zombies 2" and "Tower Madness 2." [Politico]

Ted Cruz will be sharing center stage with Donald Trump in North Charleston, South Carolina, beginning at 9 p.m. Eastern on Fox Business News; the debate will be the last chance candidates have to prove their worth before the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.