Gov. Tim PawlentyLast weekend Gov. Pawlenty announced his support for Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman over GOP-endorsed Dede Scozzafava in New York’s special congressional election. Today Pawlenty announced a November trip to Mexico — a trade mission, but also an opportunity for Pawlenty to build bridges between our neighbors to the south and rabid anti-immigrant activists within our own borders.

That’s because, like professed party-builder Pawlenty, the Minuteman Political Action Committee prefers Hoffman to Republican Scozzafava.

While in Mexico, Pawlenty will meet with President Felipe Calderon, whose term ends in 2012 — the same year Pawlenty hopes to be elected as his counterpart in the United States.

Pawlenty’s past international travel includes trade missions to Israel and India. His trip to Mexico will be brief: Nov. 9–10. The announcement came on Minnesota-Mexico Day, which Pawlenty marked at Best Buy headquarters in Richfield.