Who Is Kristin Urquiza? Arizona Native Who Lost Her Father To Coronavirus Blisters Trump At DNC

The first night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention included plenty of speakers talking about the state of the U.S. under President Trump. Some pushed for a message of unity and others like Michelle Obama presented the moral argument against the president.

Arguably the most emotional speech of the night, though, came from Kristin Urquiza.

Who is Urquiza and why did her time on Monday seem to resonate with anyone watching the DNC?

Urquiza, 39, is an Arizona native currently living in California whose story first garnered attention in July. Her father, Mark Anthony Urquiza, was one of the 4,509 people who have died in Arizona from coronavirus since February. He contracted the virus in late May after Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey lifted the state’s shelter-in-home order on May 15 and allowed businesses to reopen.

Urquiza said her father went out to a local bar with several friends for karaoke night, where he reportedly contracted the virus.

“A few weeks later, he was put on a ventilator,” Urquiza said during her DNC speech Monday. “And after five agonizing days, he died alone in the ICU with a nurse holding his hand.”

Urquiza’s story gained national attention after she penned a scathing obituary, saying her father was the victim of poor leadership who mishandled the pandemic. She said in the obituary:

“Mark, like so many others, should not have died from COVID-19. His death is due to the carelessness of the politicians who continue to jeopardize the health of brown bodies through a clear lack of leadership, refusal to acknowledge the severity of this crisis, and inability and unwillingness to give clear and decisive direction on how to minimize risk. Mark's daughter Kristin Danielle and daughter-in-law Christine are channeling our sadness and rage into building an awareness campaign so fewer families are forced to endure this.”

Shortly after the obituary went viral, Joe Biden, now the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, responded with a letter to Urquiza and her family offering his condolences for their loss.

“The family bonds that Mark spent his life strengthening are meant for times like these,” Biden wrote. “They’re meant for you to lean on to share some of those burdens that are terribly difficult to bear alone. And they’re meant to continue to grow in your love and care for one another, no matter the adversity.”

Urquiza channeled her ongoing frustrations in her Monday speech, this time going after Trump in a brief but emotional segment. She said her father had faith in Trump and believed him when he said coronavirus may just “disappear” and encouraged states to reopen.

“My dad was a healthy 65-year-old. His only pre-existing condition was trusting Donald Trump, and for that he paid with his life,” Urquiza said.

“The coronavirus has made it clear that there are two Americas, the America that Donald Trump lives in and the America that my father died in. Enough is enough. Donald Trump may not have caused the coronavirus, but his dishonesty and his irresponsible actions made it so much worse.”

She closed out her speech by saying when she voted for Biden in November in her father’s memory.

“One of the last things that my father said to me was that he felt betrayed by the likes of Donald Trump,” Urquiza said. “And so when I cast my vote for Joe Biden, I will do it for my dad.”