Significantly, the question was not about the more contentious issue of transgender children, but about transgender treatments in general. When prompted again for a direct answer, she said, “I believe that all people should be treated with dignity and respect, period, and should not be vilified for who they are, and should not be bullied for who they are.”

Weeks earlier, Colin Allred, the Texas Democratic candidate attempting to unseat Ted Cruz, broke with the Democratic mainstream on trans sports participation following related attack ads from his opponent. “I’m a dad. I’m also a Christian,” he said. “I don’t want boys playing girls’ sports, or any of this ridiculous stuff Ted Cruz is saying.”

The Biden-Harris administration has also significantly softened its position on trans issues this year. Previously, the White House firmly endorsed transgender treatments for minors and led a whole-of-government promotion of trans issues, which included pressure from the Department of Justice on states restricting child transitions.

But this summer, the Biden administration announced that it opposed transgender surgeries for minors and, following complaints from trans activists, expressed support for “gender-affirming care for minors like mental health care”, declining to explicitly endorse hormones and puberty blockers.

Democrats have broadly supported cross-sex medical treatments, including for minors, for years. But the party’s position is unpopular with voters, as the majority of Americans oppose access to puberty blockers and hormones for children. Meanwhile, laws that would make these treatments illegal have been subject to attack from Democrats, who have characterised those policies as discriminatory.

As the party shifts toward the centre on trans issues, a vocal minority within the party continues to move in the opposite direction. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation this summer banning schools from disclosing children’s gender identity to parents, a bill sponsored by a number of vocal proponents of LGBT issues including state Sen. Scott Wiener.

A similar pattern played out in Minnesota, where state Rep. Leigh Finke, who is transgender, wrote a bill making the state a “refuge” for transgender medical procedures. The legislation, signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’ running mate, gives Minnesota courts jurisdiction over custody cases related to cross-sex treatments, overriding custody laws of the child’s home state. Republicans have used this to attack Walz, arguing that it empowers the state to revoke child custody when parents oppose their child’s medical transition.

The Trump campaign and aligned PACs have been focusing on transgender issues in the closing weeks of the elections, targeting swing state voters with ads highlighting Harris’ various pro-trans statements throughout her career. Harris’ tone now is strikingly different even compared to this spring, when she wrote, “On Transgender Day of Visibility, I say to all trans and non-binary people: We see you. We love you. We will never stop fighting for you.”

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is UnHerd’s US correspondent.

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