San Antonio candidate's twin a parade stand-in

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close San Antonio candidate's twin a parade stand-in 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO - Mayoral hopeful Julian Castro acknowledged Wednesday that his twin brother took his place in a parade this week, waving at onlookers who mistook the stand-in for the candidate.

Castro told the Associated Press he had a conflicting event and didn't intend to deceive anyone when state Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, boarded the City Council barge in the city's River Parade.

"We can't help that we look like each other," said Julian Castro, a council member and leading contender for the mayor's post.

As many as 250,000 people gathered along the River Walk to watch the decorated barges float by Monday night. Many mistook the state representative for the mayoral hopeful.

"When he was waving, they would say, 'Julian,' and he would say, 'No, it's Joaquin,' but you can't really yell at 200,000 people along the route," Julian Castro said.

River Parade announcer Bob Guthrie told radio station WOAI, which first reported the story, that materials provided to him showed Julian Castro — not his brother — among passengers on the City Council float. He said he wasn't told about the replacement.

"I thought it was Julian Castro myself, as I'm sure tens of thousands of others did," said Phil Hardberger, one of Castro's opponents.

Julian Castro said his brother usually accompanies him in the parade.

"Both of us were going to go, and at the end, we scheduled another meeting," Castro said. "He still wanted to go, and council members could bring family members, and I don't have a spouse."