In this Aug. 2, 2010 photo, Jody Hice, a republican U.S. congressional candidate for Georgia’s seventh district, is interviewed in his campaign headquarters where a rendering of Jesus with his hand over the crack in the Liberty Bell hangs, in Lawrenceville, Ga. (AP Photo/John Amis)

(Reuters) – Bruised but undeterred, some of the far-right Republicans who picked a fight in Congress and lost this week over funding the U.S. domestic security agency say they’re just getting started.

The views of a handful of first-term conservatives who spoke with Reuters after the Department of Homeland Security battle suggest more conflict among Republicans lies ahead.

At the core of these House of Representatives members’ defiance is a conviction that their duty as lawmakers lies first with constituents and the Constitution, while House Speaker John Boehner’s agenda comes further down the list.

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For Boehner, who was stunningly rebuked last week by these same conservatives in a pivotal vote, unifying his party for tough fiscal challenges ahead may be more difficult than ever.

“My job’s not to demand where leadership should or shouldn’t be. That’s not even on my radar,” said Representative Jody Hice of Georgia. “My job is to represent the people in my district.”

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