Criminal justice During the 2015 legislative session, Buckel introduced a bill that would block law clinics from fighting against Maryland state agencies in court. The bill received an unfavorable report from the House Appropriations Committee. During the 2021 legislative session, Buckel opposed a bill that would remove the
Governor of Maryland from the parole process for people serving life sentences. The Maryland General Assembly voted to override Governor Hogan's veto on the bill during its special legislative session on December 7, 2021. Buckel also opposed legislation that would prohibit life without parole sentences for juvenile offenders, and introduced an amendment during the debate on the bill that would have banned it from applying to past offenses. The amendment was rejected in a 52–83 vote. In February 2026, after a student shot another student at
Thomas S. Wootton High School in
Montgomery County, Buckel supported a bill that would expand the list of offenses for which a student can be arrested and would require law enforcement to notify the school and superintendent following arrest.
Energy Buckel disagreed with Governor
Larry Hogan's decision to support a ban on
fracking in Maryland in 2018, saying that it would have brought jobs to Allegany and Garrett counties. During the 2026 legislative session, Buckel supported proposals to incentivize the construction of more power generation in Maryland to curb rising utility costs while faulting state policies encouraging renewable energy sources for rising energy prices.
Fiscal issues Buckel opposes introducing any new taxes, During his 2014 campaign, he said that he would pursue a tax incentive program to bring cybersecurity and information technology to Allegany County. In April 2021, Buckel voted against legislation that would allow counties to set local income taxes at different rates for lower-income and wealthy residents. During the 2025 legislative session, amid a $3.3 billion state deficit, Buckel expressed concern with proposals to raise taxes to address the deficit. He opposed a compromise budget proposal negotiated by Governor
Wes Moore and legislative leaders that included over $1 billion in new tax increases but $2 billion in spending cuts, which he argued would hurt middle- and upper-class individuals and make businesses leave the state. In March 2025, during debate on the budget proposal, Buckel proposed an amendment that would substitute tax increases in the bill with $1.6 billion in cuts to
Medicaid, state employee hiring initiatives and salary increases, and programs supported by the
Blueprint for Maryland's Future. In January 2026, amid a $1.5 billion budget deficit, Buckel supported cuts to the
Blueprint for Maryland's Future, saying that while the education reforms were well-intentioned and that some elements are worth keeping, the state could not afford to fully implement the reforms and that lawmakers had to be "fiscally responsible to your taxpayers". He also called for halting raises for some state employees while ensuring proper staffing and funding for law enforcement and mental health services. In March 2026, following a spike in gas prices as a result of the
2026 Iran war, Buckel proposed a 30-day gas tax holiday.
Gun policy Buckel does not support
gun control regulations, saying that the government "does not have a right" to regulate firearms. In March 2022, during a debate on a bill that would ban sales of
privately made firearms, Buckel introduced an amendment that would strengthen convictions for people convicted of firearm theft. The amendment was rejected on a vote of 50–80.
Housing During the 2024 legislative session, Buckel opposed legislation to give tenants the right of first refusal if the property owner of their residence seeks to sell the property, saying that it would disincentivize developers from building in Maryland.
Immigration During the 2021 legislative session, Buckel opposed a bill that would prohibit state and local governments from providing records or data to
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the purpose of civil immigration enforcement. In January 2026, Buckel opposed legislation to ban counties from entering into
287(g) program agreements with ICE, calling efforts to do so "performative virtue signaling". He also opposed a bill to impose minimum mandatory safety standards on private immigration detention facilities, citing the
Supremacy Clause.
Labor Buckel opposes
right-to-work laws, calling them "not necessary and not feasible." He also supports providing workers with
prevailing wages on government projects. In September 2024, Buckel wrote a letter to Governor
Wes Moore calling on him to repeal an executive order requiring state agencies to consider a company's use of
project labor agreements when awarding contracts on large-scale public works projects, arguing that it puts local construction workers at a disadvantage to out-of-state employees.
Redistricting Buckel supports using an
independent redistricting commission to redraw every state's congressional districts. He has called Maryland "one of the most
gerrymandered states in America", pointing out that Republicans control only one of
Maryland's eight congressional districts despite the lowest performing Republican candidates in Maryland typically receiving at least a third of the vote in statewide elections. Buckel supports using
single-member districts in the Maryland House of Delegates. In August 2015, Buckel was appointed to the Maryland Redistricting Reform Commission by Governor
Larry Hogan. In July 2021, Buckel was appointed to the Maryland Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission, which consisted of the leaders of each chamber of the
Maryland General Assembly. He objected to the maps adopted by the commission over country splits. He later introduced an amendment that would switch the legislative redistricting panel's maps with those proposed by the Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission. The amendment was rejected in a 43–93 vote. Buckel also opposed the legislative maps passed by the General Assembly in January 2022, saying that the legislative panel's map was drawn for partisan gain. He also opposed congressional maps passed by the General Assembly in March 2022. In August 2025, amid
Republican efforts to redraw Texas's congressional districts to gain five congressional seats in the
2026 United States House of Representatives elections, Buckel said he opposed mid-decade redistricting and efforts to redraw Maryland's congressional districts in response to Texas's mid-decade redistricting to make
Maryland's 1st congressional district more favorable for Democrats. In October 2025, he supported Senate President
Bill Ferguson's decision to rule out mid-decade redistricting in response to continued Republican redistricting efforts. After Governor Moore organized a commission to review mid-decade redistricting in Maryland in November 2025, Buckel said he would introduce a bill to ban mid-decade redistricting, codify part of a 2022 ruling that struck down Maryland's original congressional redistricting plan as an "extreme partisan gerrymander", and require Maryland's congressional districts to be drawn by an independent redistricting commission. He opposed the map proposed by the Governor's Redistricting Advisory Commission, which would improve the Democratic Party's chances of winning
Maryland's 1st congressional district, saying that it was "clearly drawn with purely partisan purposes".
Social issues Buckel opposes
legalizing marijuana, calling the move a "
Pandora's box". He has also said that decriminalizing and legalizing the drug would pose many difficult questions for law enforcement, including how to test for
marijuana intoxication of drivers. Buckel did not rule out voting to allow the use of medical marijuana under tight controls. He voted against legislation creating
2022 Maryland Question 4, a ballot referendum to legalize recreational marijuana in Maryland. During the 2022 legislative session, Buckel opposed legislation that banned regulated lobbyists from contributing from their personal funds to a candidate with the intent of influencing action from the candidate, questioning the bill's constitutionality amid the
Supreme Court's
Citizens United v. FEC decision. During the 2025 legislative session, Buckel supported a bill to ban
transgender students from competing on girls' sports teams in schools. He also said that he supported curriculum that teaches young students to respect LGBTQ individuals, but expressed concern with lessons for young students that go beyond those concepts and said that he supported providing parents with an option to opt their children out of such lessons. In June 2025, Buckel supported the
U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in
Mahmoud v. Taylor, which overturned
Montgomery County Public Schools's policy of not allowing opt-outs of instruction involving LGBTQ-inclusive storybooks, saying that it "strikes a balance between the rights of parents to act in accordance with religious beliefs while still allowing public schools to reflect their greater community". In November 2025, following the federal indictment of
Cleveland Guardians players
Emmanuel Clase and
Luis Ortiz on charges of conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, Buckel said he supported banning or severely limiting
prop bets in Maryland. During the 2026 legislative session, Buckel supported Kanaiyah's Law, a bill to codify the Maryland Department of Human Services's policy of prohibiting foster children from being housed in hotels. The bill was named for Kanaiyah Ward, a 16-year-old who died from an intentional
Benadryl overdose while in DHS's custody.
Transportation Buckel supports restoring highway user funds, saying that much of the funding is now being used for mass transit projects in metropolitan areas. ==Electoral history==