Progressives Demand Payback From Jeffries After Primary Wins

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, author of the House "Medicare for All" bill, said of Jeffries' comments: "I was very confused and surprised by that." She said she has had "direct" conversations with him about it.

Hamawy, a progressive candidate favored to win a deep-blue New Jersey seat in November, would not commit to backing Jeffries. "Most Democrats, I think, agree that the current leadership is failing to face the moment," he told CNN. "I have to see what the choices are and what the situation is." He added that the left is not coming to Washington to brawl: "We're not really going in to fight, we're going in to deliver on what people want."

Avila Chevalier, a community organizer who unseated a long-time incumbent in New York City, called a recent conversation with Jeffries "positive" but said she hasn't "come to any final decisions" on supporting him. "It'll be the first vote I make," she said. "I want that vote to mean something to my community."

Usamah Andrabi, a spokesman for Justice Democrats, said: "Defeating 10, 30-year incumbents should be a wake-up call to the Democratic establishment that the base is moving underneath them." He said it "often feels that the Democratic leadership and establishment don't even want to acknowledge the ground is moving."

Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on Foreign Affairs, dismissed the complaints about Moskowitz as "standard committee procedure" and said his committee is "very balanced" on Israel. "I don't know what the left's problem is," he said.

Jeffries' allies said his refusal to endorse "Medicare for All" reflects a long-held view that House leaders should not back major bills before there is broad support in the caucus. Many centrists, CNN reported, are privately pleased with his effort to put distance between the party and a far-left agenda before the election.