What’s Wrong With Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Voice? Rare Condition May Affect His Presidential Campaign

In April, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his bid for the Democratic Party nomination in the 2024 presidential election. As the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy, RFK Jr. has gained a significant following, especially as a candidate challenging a current president within the same political party. According to a CNN poll conducted in May, 20% of Democrats support Kennedy over President Joe Biden.

His popularity has reignited interest in his voice disorder, spasmodic dysphonia.

In 2007, Kennedy told O, The Oprah Magazine that his disorder didn’t begin to manifest until he was about 43.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), spasmodic dysphonia is a disorder affecting the voice box where the muscles inside the vocal folds spasm, interfering with typical vibrations. This causes voice breaks during speech and can make the voice sound strained or breathy.

There is currently no cure, but the condition is often treated with Botox injections that weaken the vocal cord muscle fiber and prevent the contractions that distort the patient’s voice. These injections have to be repeated as the cells eventually regenerate, causing the vocal cords to return to normal strength.

A study published in Political Psychology in 2015 found that the health of a presidential candidate and the strength and tone of their voice can alter public opinion.

The results of the Political Psychology article also manifested in the 1960 debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon where Kennedy won because he “looked and sounded good” while Nixon had recently returned from the hospital and rejected stage makeup.