CHARLESTON — U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin heads toward the 2012 election without a longtime political ally, with West Virginians for Life alleging the freshman Democrat has betrayed those who helped him win office.

The state’s leading anti-abortion group has denounced Manchin after he helped defeat an attempt last month to deny federal funds for Planned Parenthood. It has run at least one newspaper ad targeting Manchin, and is seeking funds for more.

“When the West Virginians for Life Political Action Committee considers endorsements for 2012, our members will certainly remember Sen. Manchin’s vote that allow more than $1 million a day to go to the largest abortion provider in the country,” group spokes-man Mary Anne Buchanan told the Associated Press in a statement Friday.

Following the April 14 vote, Manchin cited a lifelong opposition to abortion but also said the funds help provide cancer screenings, family planning and other health services for women he called vital. But at least for now, he has incurred the wrath of a key group that has supported him throughout his political career.

Championing Manchin since his days as a state legislator in the 1980s, it most recently endorsed him — though along with his Republican opponent — during last year’s special election for U.S. Senate. He won the remaining term of the late Robert C. Byrd, but he must run again next year for a full six-year term.

“West Virginians for Life will continue to hold Sen. Manchin accountable to his pro-life voters who feel betrayed,” Buchanan said.

The 1976 Hyde Amendment bars taxpayer funding of abortion except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. Planned Parenthood and other groups that receive grants through the federal health-related Title X program must keep that funding separate from any abortion services provided. Anti-abortion groups target Planned Parenthood because it provides abortion services through other revenues.

Planned Parenthood’s $1.1 billion annual budget includes $70 million in Title X grants as well as around $293 million from Medicaid. Under the rules keeping funding separate, Planned Parenthood said it performed about 330,000 abortions last year, 3 percent of its total health care services. Its other annual services include 1 million screenings for cervical cancer, 830,000 breast exams and some 4 million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted diseases, the group said.

Manchin voted against defunding Planned Parenthood one day after introducing a bill that would require the online posting of the audits meant to ensure that Title X recipients keep those federal funds separate from any abortion services. But Buchanan said the legislation does not address her group’s overall opposition to Planned Parenthood as an abortion provider.

“No one is saying that this money is being used to pay for abortions,” Buchanan said.

Manchin has become the latest in a recent series of West Virginia Democratic officeholders to run afoul of West Virginians for Life and its allies because of votes on federal health care policy. Their support of last year’s health care overhaul cost U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall and his since-defeated colleague Alan Mollohan the longtime support of the anti-abortion lobby. Mollohan had been Democratic co-chair of the House’s bipartisan Pro-Life Caucus.

Declining to comment on the targeting by West Virginians for Life, state Democratic Party Chairman Larry Puccio said Manchin and the congressional delegation’s other Democrats “are working very hard and are doing good things for West Virginia.”

“We do not get into each and every vote that our senators and congresspeople make,” said Puccio, a longtime Manchin adviser and his former chief of staff. “We believe these officials have been elected by the people of West Virginia, and they will have to make very, very tough votes. We support them, and we evaluate them by the year and by the term.”