What we reported: After 17 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble, announced Nov. 7 he would not seek re-election in 2018. Representing U.S. District 2, Poe serves parts of Cy-Fair, the Lake Houston area, Spring, Montrose and the Medical Center near downtown Houston. Poe served on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee as chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade. Poe’s decision came on the heels of a six-month battle with leukemia. He announced that he was in remission in January. The Latest: Fourteen candidates have filed to replace Poe, including nine Republicans and five Democrats. The field includes Republicans David Balat; Daniel Crenshaw; Jonny Havens;  Justin L. Lurie; state Rep. Kevin Roberts, R-Spring; Jon Spiers, Rick Walker; Kathaleen Wall and Malcolm Whittaker. The Democratic challengers are Jimmy Darnell Jones, Ali Khorasani, Todd Litton, Silky Malik and H. P. Parvizian. This story is one update from The January Issue. View the full list of Top 7 stories to follow in 2018 here.