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U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer in a Washington, DC coffee shop during new member orientation on November 14, 2014. Brett Neely/MPR News

It wasnt too long ago that Tom Emmer was considered a darling of the tea party movement.

But on his first day representing Minnesotas 6th Congressional District, Emmer has angered the base that supported his campaign byvoting to re-electOhio Rep. John Boehner asU.S. House Speaker.

Boehner faced opposition from some of the most conservative members of his caucus who believe he has too often supported excessive government spending and regulation.

Minnesotans from Congressional District 6 put a man in office with the expectation that he would fight for smaller government and more liberty, said apress releasefrom the Minnesota Tea Party Alliance. However, in his first real test vote as a conservative, Tom Emmer voted wrong and against the wishes of his conservative base by voting for John Boehner as Speaker.

Last summer, the Tea Party Alliance hosted a meet-and-greet for Emmer. And the former GOP gubernatorial candidate was endorsed by theTea Party Expressduring his bid for Congress.

UPDATE: In a press release, Emmer said he was not approached by other candidates for Speaker.

Two months ago, the Republican Conference met and nominated potential candidates for the 114th Congress. No opposition to the current Speaker came forward, nor were any alternatives offered. While several members threw their hats in the ring over the past 72 hours, I was never approached or contacted by any new contender asking for my support or sharing their plan and why they believed they should receive my vote.There will be times I will vote with leadership and times I will vote against leadership, but at all times, I will be pushing for what is best for the people of the 6th District.

Catharine Richert covers politics for MPR News, and writes PoliGraph, a fact-checking feature that gets behind the spin in Minnesota politics. She has also contributed to MPRs coverage of the federal health care overhaul. Catharine joined the MPR newsroom in 2011 after finishing a masters degree at the U of Ms Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Previously, Catharine worked for PolitiFact.com and Congressional Quarterly. She lives in St. Paul with her husband and son.

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MN Tea Party Alliance targets Emmer for Boehner vote