In the 1988 federal election, he ran for office as a candidate of the Confederation of Regions Party of Canada (CoR).
The party attracted a lot of support in anglophone areas of the province because of the collapse of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick in the 1987 election, and resentment against PC Premier Richard Hatfield's support of official bilingualism.
The CoR party won eight seats in the 1991 New Brunswick election, and formed the official opposition.
Pafford did not win a seat, finishing in third place in his Newcastle riding.
He largely withdrew from the political scene but participated with other former CoR members in founding the Grey Party of Canada in 2001.