Lombard was first elected to the Seanad in 2016 and served on the Agricultural Panel. He was the Seanad spokesperson on communications, climate action and the environment. He was a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. His background is in dairy farming. In 2011, he was elected as Cork County's youngest ever mayor. He worked as a county councillor for 13 years before his election as Senator.