Page was elected in 1992, after being asst. AG from '87 until he started on the Court.
Remember, so were most of the justices on the NJ Supreme Court. Former Gov. Arne Carlson was a big stinky liberal, elected only because the original candidate, Jon Gruenseth, had some last minute scandal about him skinny-dipping with teenage daughter's friends several years earlier (Red Star paper put out this completely b.s. story a few weeks prior to the election, but Jonny-boy was dipping his wick with someone not his wife, anyway). Irony here is that his dropping out is what prompted the MN legislature to re-write the state's election laws, which was being argued about today.
Here's a good rule to go by: pro-life governor will most likely appoint pro-life judge (i.e., conservative), and chances are law will be upheld; pro-abortion governor will most likely appoint pro-abortion judge (i.e., liberal, even if Republican), and chances are law will not be upheld.