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From the opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal.

This is Free Expression with Jerry Baker.

Hello and welcome to free expression from the opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal.

I'm Jerry Baker, editor-at-large of the journal.

If you're not already a subscriber to Free Expression, please sign up at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you do, you're listening.

This week, Democrats claim victory in the handful of off-year elections across the country on Tuesday.

But is the party really poised for success in 2024?

A succession of key state polls chose Joe Biden losing to Donald Trump next year.

The president's approval ratings remain in the basement, and a large majority of voters say they're unhappy with the direction

of the country. But the Democrats did make advances this week in Virginia State House elections

and held on to the governorship of Kentucky, a state Donald Trump won by a huge margin in 2020.

And voters in Red State, Ohio, approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing a right to an abortion

in yet another big win for Democrats on an issue that seems likely to loom large next year.

So what is actually the outlook for the Democratic Party, both in the immediate future and beyond?

Well, I'm joined this week by Ray Tashara, a political scientist who's made a career and a reputation,

studying Democratic voters. With his co-author, John Judas, career and a reputation, studying democratic voters.

...