If Bush lost 0.52% of the national vote because of the election eve disclosure of his decades old DWI arrest, then it cost him the so called Popular Vote. Gore’s “margin of victory” was 0.51% WELL within the margin of error for tabulation.
Bush may have lost some votes on election day because of the way the state results were announced as if to make it appear Gore was winning the election...the DUI story may have suppressed Bush’s popular vote total by several million votes (evangelicals who didn’t vote for him because of the story).