Here's a reference to McConnell's argument, as presented in an anthology, Securing Democracy: Why We Have an Electoral College:
Here's Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. (in an essay included in the 2001 anthology, Securing Democracy: Why We Have an Electoral College): The difference between Al Gore and George W. Bush in the national popular vote was about 500,000 (less than that, even, in the first few days after the election). That is a difference of less than .5% of the votes cast. A few thousand votes here and a few thousand votes there could have changed that election result. The Electoral College served to center the post-election battles in Florida. Without it, I fully expect we would have seen vote recounts and court battles in nearly every state of the Union.