Van Waveren ran for the Utrecht Municipal Council in the March 2010 election as the fifth candidate of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). He was not elected, as the party won four seats.[3][4] He assisted the CDA's parliamentary group until 9 December 2010, when he was appointed to the council to succeed a fellow councilor who had resigned..[2][5] Van Waveren became the party's parliamentary leader in 2013, and he was re-elected in 2014 and in 2018 as lead candidate.[2][6][7] He left the Utrecht Municipal Council on 17 December 2020, midway through his term.[2]
He joined NSC when it was founded by former CDA member Pieter Omtzigt ahead of the November 2023 general election.[2] Van Waveren was the party's 27th candidate, and he was not elected to the House of Representatives, as NSC won 20 seats. He became administrative secretary of its parliamentary group in September 2024.[2][8] Because of his position on the party list, Van Waveren was sworn into the House on 3 December 2024 following Femke Zeedijk's resignation.[9][10]
As of 2024, Van Waveren lived in Utrecht.[1] He has served as chair of sports club UVV Utrecht and as treasurer of a music education foundation.[2][11]
^Cazander, René (11 December 2010). "Van Waveren strijdt tegen wollige taal" [Van Waveren fights against woolly language]. AD/Utrechts Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). p. 5.