Emmer and Johnson advance to final round for GOP speaker candidate

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) and Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) emerged as the top two candidates coming out of the closed-door GOP speaker election on Tuesday.
Lawmakers will now move on to a final ballot, which will determine who will become the next speaker designate. After that, Republicans can push for a floor vote for the full House to vote on a speaker, although a timeline for that remains unclear.
HOW HOUSE REPUBLICANS WILL PICK THEIR NEXT SPEAKER NOMINEE IN CROWDED FIELD
Republicans started the day with eight candidates on the secret ballot, which shortly fell to seven after Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL) announced he would drop his bid moments before voting began.
Rep. Pete Sessions was …