WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is turning to one Massachusetts pol to help him prepare for a pivotal showdown with another.

John Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president in 2004, will serve as a stand-in for 2012 Republican standard bearer Mitt Romney in Obama’s preparations for nationally televised debates, aides to the Massachusetts senator and Obama campaign confirm.

With Kerry, Obama has a skilled sparring partner for the key fall face-offs — and one who is arguably as familiar as any elected Democrat with Romney’s political resume, having viewed his governorship and his 1994 campaign for U.S. Senate from the front lines.

Dissecting Romney’s tenure has become a major focus of the Obama campaign team. One of its most-aired television ads accuses Romney of having one of the worst economic records in the country during his single term leading the Bay State.