(CNN) Beto O'Rourke is hiring four Democratic communications veterans as he continues to build out his staff in El Paso, Texas, and ramp up early-state organizing efforts ahead of the first Democratic debate next week.

Despite consistently trailing five Democratic foes in national and early-voting state polls in recent weeks, the former Texas congressman is continuing to attract well-regarded Democratic talent to his campaign -- and is ahead of most of his competitors in building on-the-ground organizations in the early states.

O'Rourke's latest hires are deputy communications directors Rachel Thomas, hired from the Democratic digital organization ACRONYM, and Ofirah Yheskel, who was Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's communications director.

Thomas, a former EMILY's List communications director and aide to Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, is O'Rourke's deputy communications director for strategic content.

Yheskel, who prior to working on Northam's 2017 campaign was Hillary Clinton's Wisconsin press secretary in 2016 and worked on Wendy Davis' bid for Texas governor, is O'Rourke's deputy communications director for states.

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