Michael Dukakis said there is something Americans need to know about Mitt Romney: the "absolute mess" he made of Massachusetts when he was governor of the state.

"When he was governor, my state was 47th out of 50th in job creation under this guy, who by the way, when he ran for governor said exactly the same thing, that he was a business guy, knew all about the economy, and, he really was a disastrous economic leader," Dukakis, who is also a former governor of Massachusetts and was the Democratic presidential candidate in 1988, told ABC News' Jonathan Karl.

"He was a bust. No follow through, no nothing," he said. "By the way, when he left office, the state's infrastructure was an absolute mess. Rusting bridges, pothole roads, couldn't get anything done."

Democrats have largely overlooked Romney's tenure as Massachusetts governor, instead choosing to attack his private sector record, specifically targeting Bain Capital, the venture capital firm Romney ran. But Dukakis said all that is going to change between now and election day.

"You'll hear plenty about his record in Massachusetts between now and November," Dukakis said.

"You know it's really a story we have to tell in these last two months," he said. "The American people have to know this."

Dukakis ran an unsuccessful campaign for president in 1988, receiving a large boost coming out of the convention only to lose to George H.W. Bush in a general election during which he was criticized for his stoic demeanor and a now infamous image of him riding in a tank.

"It was a great convention, we had run a great primary campaign, but we kind of screwed it up in the final," he said.

Get more pure politics at ABC News.com/Politics and a lighter take on the news at OTUSNews.com