[9] Buckley's first involvement in Democratic Party politics was at age eight, when he campaigned for a gubernatorial candidate by making homemade signs.

His own personal vehicle, a Chrysler PT Cruiser decorated as the "JoeMobile", served as a prominent symbol for that campaign.

[10] He is credited with leading his party to prominence in New Hampshire, a former Republican stronghold,[15] although he has also been chastised for controversial fundraising efforts that have led to that rise.

Under his campaign leadership, the Democratic Party gained control of the New Hampshire Senate, a situation that had only occurred for one and a half terms since the nineteenth century.

[10] He is a prominent member of the state Gay Marriage Commission, attempting to reach a bi-partisan agreement on a hot-button issue.

He temporarily ended his bid for chairman in January of that year, following allegations of possessing child pornography leveled by Buckley's former housemate, Rep. Steve Vaillancourt.

[20] On January 19, 2007, the Manchester Union Leader reported that the New Hampshire Democratic Party has hired an attorney to investigate a separate set of allegations against Buckley.

The investigation was prompted by a letter that accuses Buckley of sexually harassing young male party staffers.

The New Hampshire Attorney General considered filing charges against Vaillancourt, but determined instead to let the matter drop for lack of evidence.

[citation needed] By high school, his family had settled in Canterbury, where at the age of 14 he served as the town's Democratic Party Chair (due to his youth, his mother held the post officially).

He planned to go to college upon graduating high school, but lacking the finances, he accepted a job offer to work for then State Democratic Chair Joanne Symons.