State Rep. Julie Hamos is the first candidate to hit the airwaves in the open-seat contest for Rep. Mark Steven Kirk’s seat.

Hamos, who is running in the Feb. 2 Democratic primary against marketing consultant Dan Seals, is putting up her first television advertisement Saturday in select parts of the district, according to her campaign.

Hamos must overcome the huge name identification advantage held by Seals, who was the party’s nominee in 2006 and 2008.