Businessman Jim Ward (R) officially declared his candidacy in the Scottsdale- and Tempe-based 5th district last week after filing papers with the Federal Election Commission.

Ward is a former president of LucasArts, a leading video game publisher and developer that was founded by famed “Star Wars— director George Lucas. After leaving the San Francisco-based company last year, Ward joined a venture capital firm and moved to Arizona.

“I believe my years of experience in the private sector have prepared me especially well to deal with the unique challenges that face our state, particularly the need to diversify our economy,— Ward said in a release. “The right kind of change is to invest in the free market, not government.—

Before he can challenge sophomore Rep. Harry Mitchell (D) in a district that has more registered Republicans than Democrats, Ward will have to beat former Maricopa County Treasurer David Schweikert in the Republican primary. Schweikert, who has already filed to run, won the GOP nomination in 2008 after a hard-fought six-way contest but he went on to lose the general election by 9 points.