When do clerics participate in formal politics and why? In this paper, I explore the participation of Shi’a clerics in parliamentary elections in post-2003 Iraq. By relying on candidate data from the Iraqi High Electoral Commission (IHEC) and interviews with elite Shi’a clerics, I argue that participation in formal politics entails a trade-off for Shi’a clerics. Clerics derive popular legitimacy from their Hawza connections which can be useful in electoral campaigns. At the same time, their decision to participate weakens their ties to the religious institution and limits their ability to further expand this legitimacy. This has important implications for managing the relationship between religious and state institutions in democratizing contexts. On one hand, it demonstrates that the religious establishment does not fully sanction formal participation in politics through traditional means. At the same time, the interference of clerics informally in politics in addition to their self-described role as the “spiritual fathers of the Iraqi nation” are indicative of a desire to remain above the state.