Republicans in the US House of Representatives have spent three days trying to do something that is usually a formality: elect a leader. Their failure has led some of them to describe the situation as a "clown show."

House lawmakers have gone through 10 rounds of voting to pick a speaker. Most of them had expected Republican Kevin McCarthy to follow precedent and win in the first round. However, 20 hardline conservatives say he is "untrustworthy" and have refused to get behind him.

Lauren Boebert, a Republican representative from Colorado, said she offered McCarthy a deal that would have gotten him the 218 votes he needs, but he "smugly" rejected it. She and the other holdouts worry he will work with the Democrats on deals that they do not support. They want him to agree to changes that include weakening the speaker's powers.

Even other Republicans have grown restless. Pat Fallon of Texas said more than 3 and a half million Americans voted to put Republican leadership in the House. He said he just wants to "get to work."

The Democrats say the deadlock raises questions about the Republicans' ability to govern. They described the squabbling as "dangerous."