WASHINGTON — For the first eight weeks of his presidential bid, Beto O’Rourke did what a presidential candidate is expected to do: He campaigned. Driving more than 6,150 miles across 14 states, as logged by his campaign, he held more than 152 town hall meetings and visited 32 college campuses, answering more than 1,000 questions.

What Mr. O’Rourke did not do, however, was steadily deliver a crisp, focused performance that generated excitement among voters. In response to their questions, he often seemed to be thinking out loud, in search of clear answers. His policy specifics came too rarely for some audiences. And his decision to avoid national television audiences — whether because of strategy or comfort — meant that many more people were not even hearing him.

Now, as he builds his campaign operation in El Paso, he has been working with his team to sharpen his answers, receiving regular briefings and boning up on policy details as he seeks to raise his television profile and prepares for the first primary debate next month, according to people close to his campaign. With his poll numbers more modest than his supporters had hoped, he is also trying to find ways to spread his message of unity and compassion to larger numbers of voters.

“I can’t tell you how many times I was asked to find a way to get on ‘The View’ at those town hall meetings,” Mr. O’Rourke said in a Tuesday appearance on “The View.” “I want to make sure that I have a chance to answer your questions here today so they can see who I am.”