WASHINGTON — After a year of fretting about President Biden’s political standing and their electoral chances in 2024, Democrats are at a moment of high confidence as Republicans prepare for their first presidential debate Wednesday.

They will be watching with bated breath in hopes that the Republican candidates embrace the likely-to-be-absent Donald Trump, defend him over his four criminal indictments, endorse national restrictions on abortion, and — in the Democrats’ dream scenario — call for cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

Even without Trump onstage, Democrats see the Republican White House hopefuls as avatars for what they describe as a party in thrall to its extreme elements. Nobody is rooting for the debate to go off the rails more than Democrats praying for Biden’s reelection.

“All I want these people to do is say the same stuff they’ve been saying on the campaign trail on national TV,’’ said Jim Messina, the campaign manager for President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection bid. “Please continue to double down on a six-week abortion ban. That would be wonderful. Thank you for doing this.’’

Biden probably won’t watch the debate, a spokesperson said, but odds are that his compatriots will. Here’s what Democrats are looking for from the Republicans on the debate stage:

Will they rally around a national abortion ban?

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, Democrats have used the abortion issue to turbocharge their voters, particularly in red and purple states like Kansas, Wisconsin, and, this month, Ohio.

Nothing would make Democrats happier than to see Republicans embrace a national ban on abortion during a nationally televised debate. When Trump held a CNN town hall event in May, the moment that had Democrats doing cartwheels afterward was not his continued denial of the 2020 election results, but when he took a victory lap for the Supreme Court’s decision.

“I’d like to see a huge defense of President Trump and a full-on assault on reproductive freedom and abortion,’’ said Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey, a Democrat. “To me, that would be a gift that would keep on giving.’’

In reality, many of the Republican candidates have tended to be more cagey about the issue.

Trump, at the CNN event, declined to call for a national abortion ban, and Governor Ron DeSantis has also treaded carefully despite signing a six-week prohibition into law in Florida this year.

But avoiding the subject might be tricky given former vice president Mike Pence’s enthusiastic support for limiting abortion rights.

How much will Republicans cozy up to Trump?

Trump probably won’t be at the debate, but Democrats expect nearly all of the candidates onstage to make explicit plays for his share of the Republican base, a move Democrats hope will focus attention on their own efforts to brand the entire GOP as the party of MAGA.

“It doesn’t matter who ‘wins’ the debate on Wednesday, the MAGA Republican presidential candidates have all chosen a losing strategy that is extreme and out of touch with the American people,’’ wrote Michael Tyler, the communications director for Biden’s campaign, in a memo to supporters Friday.

Biden has for months been on a mission to paint all Republicans as marching in lock-step with Trump’s most loyal, hard-right supporters. On Wednesday, Democrats are hoping to see Republicans engaged in stylistic efforts to attract Trump voters.

Will the Trump indictments be a focus?

The biggest story about Trump is the one Biden won’t talk about: the four criminal indictments the former president is facing.

The problem for the Republicans running against Trump is that many of their voters agree with his belief that the cases against him are politically motivated.

Democrats on the sidelines have been left waiting, to little avail, for Trump’s GOP rivals to make a case to their voters that the legal problems are politically disqualifying.

“Normally candidates would be more than happy to point out if their opponent has been indicted four times!’’ wrote Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, in a text message. “They ARE running against him after all.’’

That plea is unlikely to get much airtime Wednesday. Of the candidates onstage, only former governor Chris Christie of New Jersey — who is running an anti-Trump campaign— has made an explicit case that Trump’s indictments have merit and are bad for the party.