Ballot after ballot, Republican House Leader Kevin McCarthy this week has failed more than a dozen times to win enough support from his own party to claim the role of Speaker of the House.

Electing a speaker has for almost a century seemed a routine exercise for the party controlling the chamber, but the infighting has lead to more rounds of voting than in any Congress since before the U.S. Civil War.

And it's prompting some critics to warn that even if McCarthy wins the role, he may not be able to control his fractious caucus.

Reuters political correspondent, Andy Sullivan.

"Others have said this is really alarming, that, like there is this basic job you guys have to do and that's to, you know, get things going and start running the trains. And they're not able to do that. They say it's worrisome for democracy."

Republicans' narrow victory in the House in 2022 left McCarthy a razor-thin majority.

And a group of 20 Republican hold-outs have held off any victory in numerous ballots this week.

"These hardliners say that they don't trust McCarthy, that they think he will not be confrontational enough down the road when he goes head to head with Joe Biden and the Democrats about government spending and things like that."

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"So McCarthy's also offering key positions to some of these hard liners on certain committees. They would get more influence on the committee that determines what legislation actually comes up for a vote. That's pretty powerful. And they also are pressing for key spots on the committees that determine federal spending."

But those concessions are raising fears that the empowered hardliners will push further once a speaker is selected, in ways that could prove consequential to the country.

"There's one or two things they're going to have to get done that's going to be really problematic over the course of 2023. One is funding the government. They've got to pass these basic spending bills that can keep the Defense Department, the Justice Department, etc. running. This could be difficult. And then the real biggie is raising the federal debt ceiling. Congress is going to have to extend the government's borrowing authority sometime maybe this summer."

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"So the concern here is that if you give these hardliners too much power, then they will be in a position will they'll be calling the shots when it comes time to raise the debt ceiling."

McCarthy may still win the race, but it's unclear what power he might have at the end of the contest.