Van Regenmorter's political career started with his election into the Michigan State House of Representatives in 1982. He served as the representative of Ottawa County through 1990. Van Regenmorter served several terms in the Michigan State Senate (1990-2002) before being elected to the Michigan State House of Representatives in 2002. VanRegenmorter announced that he would not seek election in 2006 due to health reasons. He is most widely known for authoring Michigan's Crime Victims Rights Amendment and had been seen as a national leader on this issue.