The effort by Jeffries and two colleagues sets up potential showdowns with a band of younger and more liberal House members, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and arrives amid jockeying to eventually replace House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) if she makes good on her pledge to leave leadership after the upcoming elections. The decision by Jeffries, 50, one of his party’s top fundraisers and currently fourth in line behind Pelosi, is an early sign of continued frustration among many House Democrats at activist efforts by groups like the Justice Democrats to challenge liberal incumbents in big-city primaries. And it comes three years after Ocasio-Cortez dethroned a member of the party leadership in a shocking primary result... To date, Team Blue has indicated it will defend at least two incumbents, Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.) and Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), two liberals who face fresh challenges from younger women of color backed by the Justice Democrats. Waleed Shahid, a spokesman for Justice Democrats, accused Jeffries of trying to beat back gains by democratic socialists like Ocasio-Cortez and a crew of like-minded legislators who have brought a more disruptive and aggressive style to Congress.